L'arma l'ora il movente

A young clergyman, Don, has had two loves, and now he chooses one of them, Julia, as his only one lover. But soon Don is found dead in the chapel. And there is a witness, Felcio, who tells almost nothing about the murder to the police. But the murderer continues to take people's lives, and finally Felcio decides to inform of the very secret of the first murder... This is a typical Giallo film with good music by Francesco De Masi. The problem is that he does better jobs in other films. Indeed almost everything about this film seems to have average quality and therefore I have almost nothing say about it. Still it can be said that the story itself, which is nether complex nor confused, has at least one interesting side. Person like the first and leading victim, Don, is immoral. And killing the immoral person is much more immoral. But not revealing those immoralities is immoral? Or is there clear distinction between killing and letting-die? Although this film as a whole is not a moralistic one its religious and/or philosophical side, which seems to support the classic claim that there can be a deductive proof that the God does not exist based upon the existence of the evil, is rather unique and therefore can be interesting.

It must be deliberate this the colour scheme in this film is so muted - everything's beige, brown or grey. Strange.

The story involves the murder of a Hip Priest. In fact, he's so hip he has not one but two lovers on the side. He's having a bit of a crisis about that though, judging by the way he self-flagellates in his church, of an evening. This is made even more disturbing by the unseen presence of a little kid whom the nuns have adopted.

The priest reckons that God might look down on him having it off with two ladies, so he breaks up with one of them (with the strange name of Orchidea) and tries to break it off with the other. I can't remember if he was successful because he ended up in the sack with her, before shortly getting stabbed to death by a mystery assailant. There's also a cute nun kicking about (the actress playing her is called Claudia Gravy - great second name! Looks like she's in Nun and the Devil too!)

Some rough looking copper turns up with a bumbling sidekick and they start obviously digging around to looks for clues. The copper also starts spending a lot time making goo-goo eyes at Orchidea, so quite a bit of the plot is devoted to that too. The most off-putting thing about this is that the actress who plays Orchidea is a dead-ringer for Italian actor Franco Rassell (only with hair), which makes all her upcoming nude scenes a bit disturbing.

Not quite so quirky as other Gialli, this one concentrates on the police investigation (before turning into a family drama near the end!), and if you're out for sleaze you do get to see the nuns taking a shower AND the whole bunch of them stripping to the waist and whipping themselves in honour of the dead priest.

It another well made film but will kind of get lost in the avalanche of more gory, pervier gialli released in 1972. I did have a good laugh at the punch up the copper had in a dark room, only for him to find out it was his sidekick, whom he then tells to feck off!

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 ...

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.

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.