Too Beautiful to Die

I hadn't really thought that this was going to be very much but I liked it, maybe I didn't expect too much happening. I had thought it had been, Nothing Underneath (1985) and that was a sequel but it is nothing like it at all. This director was early 30s and had written dozens of comic books and very famous TV commercials and made a couple of films but only this giallo. Of course it looks like and sounds something like MTV but as it isn't a wonderful thriller, the costumes and masks are great, the killings are splendid and the blades rather fun even designed by the director, Dario Piana. So this looks so slick but although it becomes rather silly at the very end it just about hangs together and for 90 minutes was thrilling.

Sleazy talent agent Alex Conti (Giovanni Tamberi) pimps out his models for sex. At the behest of a powerful client, he arranges for unwary young beauty Sylvia O'Neal (Gioia Scola) to attend one of his shindigs, where she is held down by the other women and raped. Fleeing the party, distraught Sylvia drives off in Alex's car; her charred body is found hours later in a burnt out wreck. As the police try to discover what happened to her, someone begins to kill off those who were also present at the party, the murderer's weapon of choice being a multi-bladed prop created for a music video.

Set in the glossy world of fashion models, Dario Piana's Too Beautiful To Die is a slick and sexy giallo, full of stylish imagery, but totally vacuous, the director exploiting his female stars' gyrating hard bodies in raunchy video-shoots before bumping them off. I have no problem with the film's objectification of women who make a living from their looks, but I do object to the film's lacklustre death scenes, which are bereft of creativity and decent gore. This kind of film lives or dies on the strength of its kills, and the relatively bloodless and mundane murders in Too Beautiful To Die are instantly forgettable, making this a mediocre effort overall.

By the late eighties, the Giallo genre had almost completely dried up with only the great Dario Argento's releases, along with a handful of other films, being anywhere near seeing. One film that is certainly a part of the worthwhile non-Argento efforts is this one; as while it's a ling way from being perfect, what we do have here is a strong mystery storyline fused with a good atmosphere - and what more could you ask for from a Giallo? The original Italian title is a cause for confusion as it suggests the film to be a sequel to the (also rather good) 1985 Giallo Nothing Underneath; although the two films are unrelated. Too Beautiful to Die focuses on the production of a music video for a band named 'Blade'. Naturally, the director wants the video to involve blades; and several shiny blades take centre stage. The star of the show later resists the advances of a powerful man in a Jacuzzi, and she soon winds up dead. The police begin to investigate; and it's not long before more people involved with the production turn up as corpses.

Director Dario Piana creates a really good atmosphere for the film and clearly has a good understanding of what the Giallo genre is all about. There's a blue tint that features throughout and the director makes good use of the post-apocalyptic style of the music video at the centre of the film. It's also very much a product of the time it was made; the film features that 'trashy eighties' style throughout and the director is not afraid of implementing some extremely tacky eighties music as well. Of course, it's the murders that will have most viewers tuning in; and while they're not on par with the goriest of the genre, they are none too shabby either and plenty of the red stuff gets spilled in inventive ways. It has to be said that the film is a bit messy and certain moments can drag more than a little bit; but there's always a tense chase scene or gory murder just around the corner to keep things exciting. It all boils down to a well thought out and somewhat surprising ending that has the added advantage of actually making some sense! I can't say that this is an absolute must see for genre fans, but it's certainly well worth tracking down. Recommended.

'Too Beautiful to Die' is a stylish late 80's Giallo thriller with a striking yet distinct visual style and an interesting set up with some exciting suspenseful set pieces and enjoyable chase sequences. But the main problem of this flick is the sluggish first half with the director focusing more on the stylish visuals rather than telling a compelling story, but once the second half kicks in the movie becomes a lot more fun.

The plot - Fashion models are invited to a party by the owner of their agency and during the party one of the models Sylvia (Gioia Scola) is raped by a powerful businessman, with the help of the other models. Afterwards she runs away and is found dead and soon everyone involved starts getting killed one by one.

The movie is mildly entertaining but what it could have done with is a tighter pace and better execution as there's only so much having beautiful women and stylish visuals can do as everything else is severely lacking and this is definitely one of those cases of style over substance.

Sylvia O'Neal is a successful model working in Milan. After the final shoot for a big ad campaign, Sylvia attends a party with some of the other models. Sylvia doesn't realize it, but she has caught the eye of an older, powerful man. She's doesn't realize that he will also be at the party or the party's real purpose. She refuses his advances, but she's not strong enough to fight off the other models. While they hold her, the man rapes her. Distraught, she leaves the party in a hurry only to be found burned to death in a car the following morning. It looks like an accident until the others at the party start turning up dead. And when the police discover Sylvia was shot through the head before the car crash, it's obvious a killer is on the loose.

The 70s were the heyday for the Italian giallo. So it's always nice to discover one made in the 80s, nevermind the late 80s, that's actually good. Too Beautiful to Die is a solid example of a latter day giallo. An unknown killer, a fantastically gruesome murder weapon, artistic touches (tracking shots and blue lighting), a boatload of beautiful women, and plenty of atmosphere - this one has all the elements you expect to find in a giallo. Too Beautiful to Die also features some of the best (or worst) of the 80s. The music, clothing, and hair - all from the 80s. The ad campaigns and music videos the women are working on are incredibly reminiscent of a Robert Palmer video. It's a visual straight out of the 80s. In fact, much of the movie is a bit like watching a string of 80s-era music videos strung together into a film. Plenty of style. Another plus for Too Beautiful to Die are the plot twists and turns you expect to find in a good giallo. There are plenty of clues and red herrings sprinkled throughout that will keep you guessing to the end. With about 20 minutes to go, I was sure I had things figured out. And while I was partially correct, the movie had one more curveball up its sleeve. Very nice. If it weren't for the poor explanation of the killer's motivation, a couple of slow spots in the screenplay, and some questionable acting, I could have easily rated this one higher. Still, it's a nice giallo that fans of the genre should seek out.