14 December 2024
Scenes from a Murder (1972)
92 min.
Directed by Alberto De Martino.
With Anne Heywood, Rossella Falk, Telly Savalas, Giorgio Piazza, Osvaldo Ruggeri, Antonio Guidi, Willeke Von Ammlroy.
Standard giallo mystery also known as The Killer is on the Phone.

After she inadvertently bumps into the killer of her ex lover Peter, actress Eleanor (Heywood) is suddenly plagued by a case of amnesia: she can't seem to remember anything over the past 5 years.

But she better start remembering quick! Because now the murderer wants to ensure Eleanor's silence...permanently.

Although competently shot by genre regular De Martino, this routine thriller has little to recommend it despite a lilting score from Stelvio Cipriani and a few decent moments during the climax inside a darkened theatre.

Savalas is underused as the psychotic hitman and the sleepy action never picks up steam, never turns a new corner.

Genre regular Falk (1971's The Fifth Cord) commands attention and is mildly fun to watch, but her end motivations too fall flat and uninspired.

Italian: L'assassino... è al telefono.

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