Die Waffe, die Stunde, das Motiv

In "The Weapon,the Hour and the Motive" the murder victim is a priest.Father Giorgio is stabbed to death in his congregation church.Two police detectives Franco Boito and Moriconi investigate his murder.The main suspects are Giorgio's two lovers Giulia and Orchidea as he wanted to break up with both.There is also an orphaned boy who saw too much from his attic hideout and he will resolve the mystery.Overlooked Italian giallo stylishly made by Francesco Mazzei.There are some silly comedic moments and some effective shocks.The throat slashing scene is fairly graphic and there is a bit of nudity and sexual perversion.Mazzei is capable of building suspense pretty well too."The Weapon,the Hour and the Motive" deserves more recognition.7 out of 10.

According Salvatore Puntillo the director Francesco Mazzei also was a producer, cutting any extra cost whenever it could boost the pre-arranged low budge, as we can state through the low-profile casting which didn't have any major star, in other hand the story is very exciting, where a trendy Priest (Maurizio Bonuglia) has been a sinful behavior on two heretic affairs with two different women, a married Orchidea Durantini (Bedi Moratti) and the fortune-teller Giulia Pisani (Eva Czemerys) ends up murdered inside the church witnessed by an orphaned boy.

Soon a Police Commissioner Franco Boito (Renzo Montagnani) starts investigate the weirdo case together with his sidekick Moriconi (Salvatore Puntillo) after several inquires at crime scene and all nuns hosted there, meanwhile Giulia appears dead with slashed throat, she was one of suspect, after an exhaustive work Commissioner Franco finally figures out that Orchidea's jealous husband ought be the main suspect, later he is found dead at your house apparently committed suicide, then closing the case, not so fast as usually a final twist comes.

The movie touches in a neuralgic matter about an unholy hidden affairs on church, exposing many auto-flagellation upon a whip, such scourge was routinely used to by Priest and Nuns to purge wicked throughs, many nudity scenes were scattered along the picture as well, fine Giallo with a modest casting, nevertheless not devoid of interest.

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First watch: 2024 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.

No pun intended - priests are people too. And nuns of course ... are not just nuns. Especially when they are .. covered in exploitation movies - and I am not talking about clothes covering them - so many puns, so little time/space. And maybe you won't care for them. I hope you do and that's the reason you are here.

That said and really putting out there, that I wouldn't call myself a particular big fan of the Giallo genre, this was quite interesting. There is a moral tone, some themes that it touches (get your mind out of the gutter - although there is quite a lot of nudity, so maybe leave it there) ... the movie is interesting is what I am trying to say. Be aware of what this is and if your sensibilites are going to be touched upon - ok I'll stop here ...

I liked this a lot. Bit of a confusing and strange start, a young boy in a room, a nurse with a hypodermic and all within a convent of singing nuns. And who is that guy on the motorbike getting in the way of the police? Oops, he is the police! I guess this just about qualifies as a giallo for while it doesn't have the stylish look or garish details, there are the sudden kills, the child always there mysteriously in the background, not to mention the cat and the bouncing marbles. Compelling and absorbing, this is well directed and we have to gradually piece things together as best we can to keep apace. And then there is the extraordinary scene where the priest flagellates himself for his guilt over his lovers, yes two of them. Oh and that is nothing to what we are treated to once the nuns decide to do the same - en mass! Good resolution always helps and so in summary a good yarn intelligently told and peppered with enough sex and violence to keep the most jaded giallo fan happy.

The Weapon, the Hour & the Motive, originally titled L'arma, l'ora, il movente, is a giallo from the early seventies that mixes thriller elements with inspirations from the drama genre and a few mild softcore pornography sections. While this Italian movie isn't creative, gripping and surprising enough to have stood the test of time, it's still a very decent film that entertains from start to finish and impresses five decades later with its charming nostalgic vibe.

The story revolves around charming young priest Don Giorgio who has two secret romantic and sexual relationships. Upon celebrating his fortieth birthday, Don Giorgio has a change of heart and decides to break off his two relationships to dedicate his entire life to serving God. One gloomy night just after the witching hour, the young priest is murdered while atoning for his sins. Proactive Inspector Boito and his clumsy assistant Moriconi start very difficult investigations as they face denial, silence and superstition. The only potential eyewitness is an orphaned boy who has been traumatized by the brutal events. Things take an even more complicated turn when the dynamic inspector slowly falls in love with one of the two suspects and risks compromising his own investigation.

This giallo convinces on several levels. First of all, the locations in and around the nunnery have been chosen with care and ooze with gloomy atmosphere. Up next, the camera and light techniques increase the mystery and tension of this very good film. The characters have sufficient depth such as the tormented eye witness, the emotional investigator and the friendly but clueless assistant. The acting performances are also very decent and involve an experienced cast with great chemistry.

However, there are specific reasons why this movie has been overlooked and forgotten for such a long period of time. The idea to introduce sins such as sexual intercourse, murder and blackmail into a secluded, religious and conservative setting has been used time and again. A significant mistake is that one of the two suspects dies halfway through the movie, making it obvious who the person behind these crimes must be. The film's ending feels pulled out of thin air and asks for a complete suspension of disbelief regarding certain irrational decisions.

Despite its obvious flaws, this movie still oozes with atmosphere and is entertaining from start to finish. Anyone who likes both thrillers and the vibes of early seventies should certainly appreciate this film a great deal. Giallo fans will be pleasantly surprised by the recent releases by Arrow Films that might be rather expensive but that have been crafted with great care and attention to detail.