August 23, 2017

A Giallo Month Quick Review: Amuck (1972)

"A true showcase on just how gorgeous Barbara Bouchet is."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068206/
After seeing Barbara Bouchet in The Red Queen Kills Seven Times and Don't Torture a Ducking, we decided to check out Amuck, because come on, she's frigging gorgeous, and if she's going to be in another Giallo, then why would we not watch it?

Principles, people. You've got to have them.

And let it be known that while Amuck does contain plenty of the elements that make the typical Giallo film a Giallo, that they're sparse enough that it actually plays more like an erotic thriller than it does a typical Giallo. For that reason, we're giving the the Picturebook Review treatment.

If you're expecting an Argento-level experience here, you may well be disappointed.

The story of Amuck revolves around a hot chick named Greta who heads to a sex mansion to find out what happened to her lesbian lover who disappeared. Everyone gets naked, a few people get killed, and there's a rapey gardener who just might be a homicidal mongoloid in heat. 

GRETA ARRIVES AT FINGERBANG MANOR.
SHE'S NOT FOOLED BY ANYONE'S SMOOTH TALK. SHE WILL DISCOVER THE TRUTH!
IT SOON BECOMES APPARENT THAT FINGERBANG MANOR HOLDS MORE DANGER THAN SHE ANTICIPATED.
NEVER FEAR THOUGH, THE BEAUTIFUL ELEANORA IS THERE TO ROOFIE HER TROUBLES AWAY...
AND KISS THEM AWAY...
AND SCISSOR THEM AWAY...
FLASHBACK: NEVER SO DIRTY, NEVER SO CLEAN.
GRETA AVOIDS ANOTHER NEAR-RAPE/MURDER.
A LOT OF THIS MOVIE IS BARBARA BOUCHET STARING OFF INTO SPACE, AND WE HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT.
HOW'S THAT NEW ANNE MURRAY ALBUM WORKING OUT FOR YOU?
NOTHING GOOD CAN COME OF THIS.
SHE'S TRAPPED IN A QUAGMIRE OF DECEIT AND REPRESSED SEXUALITY.
CAN SHE HANDLE THE TRUTH?
...BECAUSE SHE COULDN'T.
"WHY AREN'T YOU LOOKING AT MY BIKINI?"
THAT'S A WEIRD WAY TO SLEEP.
SHE COULD HAVE GOTTEN ON THAT TRAIN...
...BUT THEN SHE'D MISS ALL OF THE ROMANCE.
IT ALWAYS ENDS IN TEARS, DOESN'T IT?
It might not be the best Giallo that we've ever seen, but Amuck is worth the price of admission just to see Barbara Bouchet and Rosalba Neri in the same movie together. It's got FAR more nudity on display than it does gore, so someone looking for a hardcore Giallo flick might not feel satisfied here. The Blu-ray by 88 Films makes the film watchable in truly gorgeous fashion though, so if you're in the mood for some old school Italian eroticism, then you've hit the visual jackpot.

It's a fun flick, and this is the best that the film has ever looked on disc, bar none. Plus, Barbara Bouchet is captivating to watch, in any kind of movie.

C+

Amuck is available on Import Blu-ray.

http://amzn.to/2wz096k

Barbara Bouchet, Rosalba Neri, and Patrizia Viotti.

2 comments :

  1. Speaking of Italian produced horror, I just watched that "What Happened to Monday" movie. Thought it was going to be lame, but it was pretty good. You can tell they were working with a smaller budget, but the practical sets reminded me of the good old De Laurentiis days of movies like King Kong Lives(which sucked, but that heart transplant scene, wtf??)

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