La mort remonte à hier soir

A very interesting director and especially this film being a part giallo part cop procedural and we have a sexy 25 year old woman with the mind of a three year old. This being as tasteful as possible and she disappears, the police straight away think of prostitution but there is also some humour but the ending is amazing. The very next year is really a giallo, The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971) and later on Puzzle (1974) both great and earlier Duccio Tessari had two, just as splendid spaghetti westerns, A Pistol for Ringo (1965) and The Return of Ringo (1965). In this film it gets a bit confusing now and again but then a giallo usually does but it is all so well done and with Raf Vallone so really good as the father, it could easily have been a bit silly. Frank Wolff as the inspector and has a great time with Eva Renzi as his wife around the flat, in bed and even strumming his guitar.

Death Occurred Last Night' is a gripping and well executed Giallo thriller with a sombre tone and an interesting central mystery that despite not offering the usual violent or sleaze that the genre usually offers, instead we get a more character driven story that focuses more on the investigation aspects and while this is not an entirely new take as there are plenty of early Giallo's that plays out like a cop show, this is definitely one of the better ones thanks to its stellar writing and efficient pacing.

The plot = A widower Amanzio Berzaghi (Raf Vallone) mentally challenged daughter Donatella (Gillian Bray) is kidnapped and forced into prostitution, the father then asks the police Captain Lamberti (Frank Wolff) for help in solving the case.

The movie may not appeal to all fans of the genre due to its more depressing nature and lack of violent set pieces, but don't let that put you off as this is something unique and really good, thanks to its more straightforward approach and its superb direction by Duccio Tessari who crafts a compelling narrative that packs an emotional punch especially towards its thrilling climax, which ends everything with an almighty bang.

The cast here are excellent with Raf Vallone delivering and tragic and sympathetic character, while Frank Wolff delivers an excellent and compelling performance. Gabriele Tinti also delivers a standout and interesting performance in her role. In fact, all of the cast are solid in their roles.

Overall 'Death Occurred Last Night' is a thoughtful, powerful and a somewhat unexpected gem of the genre that comes highly recommended.

Part giallo and part drama, this movie's been overlooked by both the "mainstream" critics and the Italian-horror fans alike, and that's a shame, because it's one of Italy's more serious genre efforts of the 70's. The distraught father's race to find his kidnapped daughter before the police do, is both tense and poignant. It's free of the exploitative elements most genre films have, and along with Tessari's other thriller (Bloodstained Butterfly), one of the most mature Italian thillers of the decade. The ending is painful without being gratuitous, and well above something Hollywood could handle: compare the father's obsession to find the girl in this to Cage's in 8MM and be amazed at how crassly the latter is constructed. See this one!

"Death Occurred Last Night" is a film that requires patience, an open mindset, and then even more patience. But, eventually, you will be rewarded, as this is one of the most integer and slow-brooding Italian drama/thriller films of the early 70s. And, once it has sunk in entirely, I guarantee you'll appreciate it even more! Duccio Tessari's film, with a phenomenal cast, is often misperceived by people because it has a title that makes it seem like a giallo, and a premise that makes it sound like a poliziotesschi, but it's actually neither. Well, it is a poliziotesschi, but not like the ones with Maurizio Merli and tons of car chases and violent executions. This film merely thrives on a solid script, a tense atmosphere, sense of realism and real human emotions.

Raf Vallone gives a stellar performance as a desperate father who literally begs the local Milanese police commissioner Lamberti (an equally stellar Frank Wolff) to search for his daughter Donatella, who's missing since a month. The case is extra disturbing because Donatella is mentally disabled. She has the mind of a 3-year-old, but with her curvaceous 25-year-old body and her willingness to go along with every random stranger, she's the ideal victim for all the rancid prostitution networks in the city. The first half of the film covers the extended search for the girl, during which commissioner Lamberti and his partner, with the help of a former pimp, turn all the prostitution houses in the city inside out. Then, the inevitable happens, Donatella is found brutally murdered, and the search turns into a relentless hunt for the killer (or killers). Not just the police are searching, but the devastated father is out for justice as well.

"Death Occurred Last Night" is admittedly rather slow-paced, and low in the action department, but the script is indescribably compelling, and also very fascinating, since it gives a lot of insights in police modus operandi. The last 10-15 minutes, when the truth about Donatella's disappearance slowly unravels, are truly haunting and they are likely to cause that you'll never be able to trust anyone in your close surroundings ever again.

In Lombardia, the widower Amanzio Berzaghi (Raf Vallone) goes to the police station and reports to Police Captain Duca Lamberti (Frank Wolff) and his assistant Mascaranti (Gabriele Tinti) that his daughter Donatella Berzaghi (Gill Bray) was kidnapped for sex trafficking. Then he explains that she is twenty-five-year-old, but intellectually disabled with mentality of a three-year-old child and nymphomaniac. Lambert and Mascaranti meet the former pimp Salvatore (Gigi Rizzi) to get information about the brothels in Milan and go deep in the underworld of sex to discover where Donatella is. Meanwhile her father continues his personal investigation about the fate of his daughter.

"La morte risale a ieri sera", a.k.a. "Death Occurred Last Night" is a good thriller made in Italy. The plot has flaws, as usual, but the story is consistent and "Hardcore" (1979) has a similar storyline. Raf Vallone has great performance and this unknown film is worthwhile watching. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Os Assassinos Só Matam aos Sábados" ("The Killers only Kill on Saturdays")