Le sang des innocents

A retired detective gets involved on a case which he was in charge of 17 years ago, about a grisly killer known as 'the dwarf' that killed people in a small part of town and now it's happening again, though this time his working with a son of one of the original victims. 'The dwarf ' was found dead after those murders 17 years ago… so could it be him from beyond the grave or a copycat?

This a pretty decent murder/mystery film by Dario Argento, I wasn't expecting much- but what I saw it was above average. With his usual flair of over the top blood and gore, stunning photography, the soundtrack by 'Goblin' really gives it an added boost and the usual unexpected twists and turns, make this film worth a look after his earlier disappointments.

It has a superb opening half-an hour of terror that is truly haunting and eerie. Though It does sag a bit in the middle of the film, losing a bit of the steam and the menacing atmosphere fizzles out- though that's when we start to learn more about the story, with clues coming thick and fast and then it picks up in the upbeat and unpredictable last half hour, where the final twist will have you on the edge of your seat with disbelief. What I liked was that the killer uses nursery rhymes from a specific book to pick their next victim, which I thought was pretty ingenious and disturbing, especially since the victims have something to associate them with the animals in the nursery rhymes.

Though the plot might have certain flaws, one being it's one -dimensional characters and secondly at times it was pretty convenient that the killer was at the right place at the right time- but otherwise it makes up for it with it's swift and creative deaths: that truly come out of left field… you cant go wrong with that opening scene on the train and at the station, with the hysteria and tension of isolation that builds up throughout that scene.

Though the death scenes might turn off certain viewers- but not if your fan of Argento, as a lot of detail goes into them and so did the setting of the film- it was beautifully shot. The performances are below average; they were kind of lacklustre or either over the top, though with the exception of Max Von Sydow, who brings a lot of class as the retired detective.

An entertaining Giallo film!

3/5

"Sleepless" ("Non ho sonno") is an Italian giallo film directed by Dario Argento, whose '90s films weren't that representative. This one, was released in 2001 and many believed that the beloved director returned with a more fair film. I also identify this opinion. The reasons will be mentioned.

Let's start by the plot. The film is about a retired detective and a young man who had a close relationship with one of the victims of a murderer who hit Italy, after 17 years of absence. The two of them are trying to solve the case and to unravel the mystery veil in general.

As for the plot, it sounds very simple, classic and safe for this particular subgenre (giallo). I partly agree, but I think if you go into the process of watching this film, it'll be quite interesting. It's not flawless in any way, but it's dignified and the beloved subgenre was shortly revived.

PROS:

* Charming protagonist. Nice choice.

* Decent direction by the master Dario Argento.

* While the photography doesn't resemble heavily a giallo film, just because we are used to it quite stylistically, aesthetically, with vivid and vibrant colors. This film, is more "realistic" in these parts, making it more accessible. Personally, I prefer the classic stylistic version of giallo films, without saying that I didn't enjoyed the film the way it was. So it's not a flaw, I just expressed my personal preference.

* I think that the selection of the cast was quiet good (I'll explain the in the "CONS" sectiom why I use the word "think").

* Catchy, simple and straightforward classic giallo plot.

* I would say that the violence in this film is quite high. The presence of blood is frequent and clear. The kills are brutal, not as creative as we are used to in other Argento films, but decent. But they definitely correspond to giallo films. All the stalking scenes shortly before the murder were creepy and scary. There were no annoying jumpscares.

CONS:

* One of the things I write about, in all my reviews on giallo films is the dubbing. I can't figure out why you get some foreign actors and turn the whole movie into English and then dub it with (lots of) miserable voices that disorient you. Hire some Italian actors and turn your movie into Italian. Don't make it harder. I would definitely prefer it. The Italian language is wonderful and I am sure this country has many great actors. As far as I know, most of Argento's films, all of which are now considered classic and superb, at the time of their release, they were quite controversial, because of the violence they represented and were not screened for long. So, if he had hired foreign actors to make his films more successful and saw that it has never worked, why did he keep doing this? It would be more honorable, if he would made his films in his mother tongue.

* I personally suspected who the killer was pretty soon, without being 100% sure, so I think they could have hidden it better.

* The character of 'Gloria' was so unnecessary. They probably added her just to be exisiting a romantic interest for the protagonist. Something extra. There's no other reason. At least let her do something. She was not even a suspect.

Neutrals:

* The film is not so authentic, as I personally found some parts, that resemble the film "Profondo Rosso" (1975), if you watch it, you will find it yourself.

* An inspector has the surname "Manny". Not coincidentally, as in an earlier Argento film, "Tenebre" (1982), the first victim is named 'Elsa Manny'.

Generally, the film is very enjoyable to watch. I don't think fans of this subgenre will be disappointed, especially Dario Argento's fans, since it was a very dynamic return.

I recommend it!

Dario Argento is one of my personal favorite directors, and many of my fellow Horror buffs will agree that the man is one of the all-time Horror greats. Films like "Suspiria" (1977), "Profondo Rosso" (1975) and Phenomena (1985) range among my all-time favorites, and Argento's repertoire includes several other masterpieces of Italian Horror/Giallo, such as "The Bird With The Crystal Plumage" (1970), "Opera"(1987) or "Tenebre"(1982). After several inferior films that he made in the 1990s, such as the decent "Trauma" of 1993 and "Two Evil Eyes" (which he made with fellow Horror-deity George A. Romero in 1990) and the disappointing "Phantom of the Opera", the master returned to his old style - and old greatness - with this "Non Ho Sonno" aka "Sleepless", a tantalizing and ultra-violent Giallo, in 2001. The good-old Giallo premise is still working greatly, and the fact that Argento borrows many elements from his older films does in no way downsize the greatness of "Sleepless". On the contrary, this is the absolute proof for us Italian Horror buffs that great Gialli can still be made in the 21st century.

In 1983, young Giacomo has to witness the brutal murder of his mother, who is one of the many victims of a Turin murder series. 17 years later, Turin is struck by a murder-series again, and the horrid crimes seem to resemble those from 1983. Even though he has spent the last 17 years trying to forget, Giacomo (Stefano Dionisi), who has since moved to Rome, decides to come back to Turin. Since the police make little progress, Giacomo and the retired homicide detective Ulisse Moretti (Max Von Sydow), who was working on the cases in 1983, begin to investigate themselves...

"Sleepless" brings the old-fashioned Giallo-greatness that we're used to from Argento. A creepy atmosphere, stunning suspense, ultra-bloody murders, an excellent cinematography and especially another ingenious score by Progressive Rock band Goblin - this film delivers all the great elements that we love Argento for. Argento has once stated that this is the most brutal of all his films which is not exactly true. The violence and gore are extreme, no doubt, but films like "Tenebre", "Phenomena" or "Opera" are at least equally violent, if not more. Dario Argento is not exactly known for his tameness when it comes to violence, and this is yet another (immensely stylishly) ultra-brutal Argento experience. As I stated above, Argento uses some elements he has used in his older films - but he does so in an great manner. Elements like a creepy nursery-rhyme are downright ingenious and give this the tantalizing and superb atmosphere that is typical for Argento. An absolute must-see for Horror fans, especially my fellow Argento-enthusiasts can not allow themselves to miss this! Great!

I must admit that have seen all Dario Argento's films and the last 3 ones were very disappointing. Being his fan I could not miss his last effort specially when I noticed that the myths since the time of "Profondo Rosso": The Goblin, were performing the soundtrack.

Dario Argento is back to the old typical thriller structure: a serial killer with a nonsense-rhyme for kids is the leitmotiv of all the homicides in a very wet and scary Turin.

The characters are well performed specially by the "bergmanian" Max Von Sidow. Chiara Caselli and Stefano Dionisi are fine and the first 20 minutes of film are an example of very high level cinema -the scenes shot in the train are icing- The soundtrack is less electronic than in the past with some elements of heavy metal.

Rating: 5/10

Having reviewed the brilliant Giallo "Profondo Rosso" last week I just checked out Dario Argento´s latest film "Non ho sonno". In comparison to the above mentioned classic, "Sleepless" is much straighter and more fast-paced. There are more bloody murders (A prostitutes fingers were cut off, a man gets stabbed by a fountain pen...), however the photography seemed to be not as elegant as it was in "Profondo Rosso". I´m really no Argento-expert but I think this was a good thriller with a well-developed story and lots of suspense. Even a few humorous scenes were brought on like the take when some Lilliputians have to wait for their interrogation at the police department. Main actor Max von Sydow ("Dune", "The Exorcist") is great in the lead, but also most of the supporting actors like Stefano Dionisi or Chiara Caselli are doing solid jobs! I´d give this film 8 out of 10, just for being really good Giallo-entertainment!!