Le tueur frappe trois fois

Inspector Franz Bulon (Sir John Mills) is a veteran Hamburg police detective in charge of a drugs investigation, but is finding it hard to break the case, his mind is elsewhere…on his beautiful young wife Lisa (Luciana Paluzzi) that is, a former criminal herself, though never convicted, a fact that Bulon's colleagues never let him forget, Bulon's problem is that he suspects Lisa of cheating on him a fact he can't quite prove, until one day he thinks he has caught her out and sets about hiring a local killer Max Lindt,(Robert Hoffman) the man behind the killings of witnesses in his drugs investigation, to kill his wife in return for him hiding the evidence building against him.

A Black Veil for Lisa deviates from normal giallo practice by telling us who the killer is, much like Luigi Cozzi's The Killer must kill again. The story is driven by the man (Bulov) who hires the killer to do his dirty work, as a result, Dallamano replaces the lack of mystery with some decent character development, Mills is excellent and portrays well Bulov's obsessiveness with his wife's cheating, which ultimately leads to his own self destruction.

Massimo Dallamano made the great Bandidos and the also great What Have You Done To You Daughters, but here takes things a bit too laid back and therefore we end up with an okay giallo that could have used a nice kick in the arse plot wise.

It's still interesting enough, mind you. You have a detective (the almost immortal John Mills) who is investigating a series of knife murders in Hamburg (this is where the black gloved killer comes in and this isn't the last giallo set in Hamburg either). The problem is, the detective has this young, hot, young, hot, sexy, young, mysterious, hot, young, tepid, young, hot, young wife who had possible links to a criminal past but the detective's totally over that and he's only phoning her a hundred times a day to see if she needs milk, right?

So we move from the giallo that has the 'who is the gloved killer?' plot to that other kind of giallo - the kind where you have no idea what everyone is up to until the last ten minutes. Most of the time those turn out to be the more entertaining giallo but we have just a bit too much in the old dialogue stakes here and less on the actual action.

Still, Dallamano's skills as a cinematographer shine through nice and bright, but for some reason the sleaze that sticks to his other films is missing here. It's still worth tracking down but isn't any lost classic or anything.

I do readily concede that I know close to squat about Director Massimo Dallamano, having only watched his poliziotto entitled COLT 38 SPECIAL SQUAD, which made chases and gory action its main menu.

By comparison, A BLACK VEIL FOR LISA pays a shade more attention to character building. The ever reliable British actor John Mills plays Hamburg-based Interpol Inspector Franz Bulon who, in spite of his undeniable professionalism, prioritizes keeping an eye on his often absent from home wife, the stunningly dishy, fine-featured Luciana Paluzzi who had come to international notice three years earlier in THUNDERBALL, with Connery's James Bond handing her slippers to cover her nudity.

In BLACK VEIL FOR LISA, Paluzzi displays fabulous nudity and not just to cuckolded hubby Mills, who she also deceives by passing classified info to a Porsche-driving villain who deals in tulips and murder, in addition to bedding him and handsome hitman Max, smugly played by Robert Hoffmann.

Competent cinematography from Angelo Lotti, reasonably deft screenplay from Belli and Petrilli, with interesting nuances adding to Paluzzi's sensual survival instinct and sexiness, allowing her to completely steal the show.

The ending could and should have been more credibly done, difficult to believe that a police inspector and a habitual hitman should put up such innocuous personal defense.

As a footnote, a word of appreciation for the presence of great, very classy German car models of the 1960s: Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Opel, Volkswagen all there.

Enjoyable police thriller 8/10.

So few Euro directors have done more to exile themselves from the arthouse pantheon than Massimo Dallamano. His work is slick, trashy and stylish in the manner of a fashion supplement in one of the cheaper Sunday newspapers. Yet at least three of his films are compelling studies in morbid sexuality and erotic obsession. A Black Veil for Lisa is nowhere near as famous as Venus in Furs or Dorian Gray, but it's still an intriguing brew. Imagine a giallo version of Proust's La Prisonniere with sex, drugs and serial killings thrown into the mix.

Like the other two films, it has a protagonist whose physical beauty and sexual magnetism leave her immune to the qualms of everyday good behaviour. Lisa is played by Luciana Paluzzi - a voluptuous, flame-haired tigress who's best remembered as the bad girl in Thunderball. Like almost every Bond girl since Ursula Andress, she somehow failed to become a great star. Bitterly unjust, as Paluzzi in this film is a femme fatale to rival Rita Hayworth in Gilda. We can well understand the anxieties of her drab and dreary husband (John Mills) who obsessively polices her every move.

The mystery, of course, is why Lisa married this old dolt in the first place. Suspecting his wife of sleeping around, Mills commits a grave breach of professional ethics (he's a police inspector, no less) and blackmails a hunky hitman (Robert Hoffmann) to kill her. Naturally, Lisa and said hitman fall in love...and there are plenty more twists where that came from. A Black Veil for Lisa could never be mistaken for Art. Still, it's a potent reminder that Trash is often more fun!

"A Black Veil for Lisa" is a decent mystery/thriller with a lot of mysterious murders and combining the elements of intrigue with drama , shocking scenes , jealousy , plot twists and a pretty unexpected, unpredictable conclusion . Atmospheric and oddball Giallo with chilling frames , twisted scenes , taking place cruel killing s , and confusion around a really jealous hubby . This is pretty entertaining stuff deals with a commissioner , Inspector Franz Bulon (John Mills) , a tough narcotics detective who's attempting to find out a series of grisly murders , while bring down a major drug syndicate in Hamburgo town . But Bulon results to be also a possessive husband who hires a murderer (Robert Hoffmann) to kill his unfaithful wife Lisa (Luciana Paluzzi) , but the hunter and the hunted soon begin an affair . However, every time Bulon gets close to a potential informant , the said person has a nasty knack of turning up dead . Bulon's superiors are concerned that his mind doesn't seem to be on the job due to he is being thwarted at every turn . And to a high degree they're alright , that's why Bulon is so preoccupied with keeping tabs on his spouse that he isn't keeping on top of the rest of his work . He also believes that she is having an affair , and is plagued by thoughts of her with other men . He also suspects his spouse Lisa of sabotaging a big narcotics case he's working on . White veils for angels...

An attractive Giallo that focuses on police procedure with usual investigation over the usual murder-mystery antics as well as the dramatic events about a jealous husband . A mystery/thriller in which the starring leading to the edge of sanity and extreme violence , resulting in unpredictable consequences , including spine-tingling intrigue , thrilling events with plenty of shocks , deliciously twisted happenings and brief touches of erotism with brief nudism . Suspenseful and interesting screenplay with mysterious events written by Giuseppe Belli , Vittoriano Petrilli and Massimo Dallamano himself . Although there are various incidents that defy belief , filmmaker Dallamano does a competent work of keeping pace and tension cranked up . Makes for some pretty intriguing and suspenseful moments that somewhat make up for the weak climax . Good film with Giallli overtones and surprising intrigue being well proceeded here and there , along with an unbearably tense in charge of the three adequate protagonists giving top-notch interpretations . Stars the veteran John Mills who gives a terrific acting as the obsessed , abussive usband , the handsome Robert Hoffmann as a tough hit-man , he also starred another good Giallo : Naked Girl Murdered in the Park (1972) and the extremely gorgeous Luzziana Paluzzi of Thunderball. Being an Italy/West Germany co-production shows up secondary actors from both countries , such as Renata Kashe , Carlo Hintermann , Tullio Altamura , Enzo Fiermonte , Jimmy il Fenomeno , among others .

It contains an atmospheric and evocative musical score in the Sixties style from Giovanni Fusco , Richard Markowitz , Gianfranco Reverberi , adding the catching song Melodie de Lisa Words and music by Alan Gordon and Gary Bonner . Here stands out the colorful and brilliant cinematography by Angelo Lotti with a well remastered copy .The motion picture was competently written and directed by Massimo Dallamano or ¨Max Dillman¨ who previously photographed ¨Fistful of dollars¨and ¨For a fistful dollars more. Dallamano managed to make a fluid , witty and agreeable Giallo . He also proved his experience in thriller and other Giallo movies , such as : "What Have You Done to Solange?" , "The Cursed Medallion" ,¨Portrait of Dorian Gray ¨ ,"Colt 38 Special Squad" , "Mafia Junction" , "What Have They Done to Your Daughters?" or "The Coed Murders" , among others . Rating 6.5/10. Well worth watching . The flick will appeal to Gialli fans.