Kriminal Diabólico

Starting from a fairly common inspiration, we see Kriminal (Glenn Saxson) kill people to recover some Buddhas to find out the whereabout a couple of missing paintings by two world-renowned artists: Goya and Rembrandt. Whereas the first film concerned a string of diamond robberies, this involves the search for the map of the location some paintings in question, being hidden inside four identical statues of a Buddha. So mastermind thief known as Kriminal narrowly escapes from the turkish prison. He always manages to stay one step ahead of the law with each new crime he commits. Meanwhile, Police Inspector Patrick Milton (Andrea Bosic) is on his heels. Based on the fumetti or comics books of Luciano Secchi and Roberto Raviola, highlighting Kriminal's vengeful personality, his thirst for revenge against those who have wished him harm. Will Kriminal be able to pull of his biggest score yet or will a double cross lead to his demise?. A true hero of evil, although his name is never spoken!

After the success of the French 'Fantomas' and later 'Danger Diabolik' an adaptation of fumetti (Italian comic) and others, the producers felt that they had to continue with the vein. Until 1970, Italian screens were flooded with nice and pleasant masked heroes, the most extravagant ones like 'Superargo vs Diabolikus', 'Satanik': Kriminal's cinematic counterpart, 'Baba Yaga', and the two Kriminales, to the parody 'Arriva Dorellik', an unequivocal sign of the end of a cycle. These films were entertaining and fun with twisted plots that combined a Mexican-type masked wrestler with the James Bond-style European spy subgenre. 'Kriminal' is a somewhat monotonous adaptation based on comics, known in Italy as Fumetti, based on a script in which elements from the previous films intervene here and there. Here counting on the pragmatism of the authors of transalpine comics, who allow themselves the transgressive power that modern times offer, we have the right to excesses without precedents. But unfortunately this adaptation is of mediocre quality, because Kriminal suffers from comparison with 'Danger Diabolik' and, unfortunately, is of less interest.

It is the qualitative and creative opposite of Fantomas, the film inevitably belongs to the criminal genius genre. There is a certain imbalance during the 98 minutes, as if the authors had wanted to suddenly precipitate the action and some quasi-eroticism. Between the decisions of an apathetic police force and the lack of real stakes, director Fernando Cerchio, fails to give depth to the film. Kriminal's skeleton outfits and vague zooms of him don't make much of an impression and the film ends up being a parable about waste. Even the absence of morality, which is also a big part of fumetti's charm, is cemented as a lesson in virtue for the audience. Instead of transcending the pop material, the film embraces a linearity and little imagination in the images that will disappoint more than one. Aside from some action scenes and the rarity of the product for lovers of vintage Italian cinema from the '60s, Il marchio di Kriminal (1968) may not excite many people. To play Kriminal, appears the good-looking, blonde Glenn Saxson, Glenn as a brave and two-fisted thief is acceptable. He played other heroes subsequently, Glenn would play similar roles in Spaghetti Westerns ; as he also starred ¨Le magnifique Texan¨, "Django Spara Per Primo¨ and ¨Vete con Dios , Gringo¨. Like the countless shooting stars of popular cinema, he had his moment of glory in the particularly rich decade of 1965/1975. Kriminal is probably his most striking work, although we already saw it in others credits, before slowly sliding through its twilight, sailing between light sex films and cheap adventures as ¨Luana¨. Here, he carries out the task with class and firmness, giving 'Il marchio di Kriminal' attractive enough and co-stars Spaniards like the always gorgeous and mysterious Helga Liné, Felix Dafauce, María Francés, Tomás Picó, Saturno Cerra, Goyo Lebrero, Alfonso Rojas and special mention for the Italian Andrea Bosic as a bloodhound police inspector.

There is atmospheric retro-pop-lounge music by Manuel Parada , which will delight fans, some unconventional images and along with the inevitable flamenco scene (mandatory Spanish co-production), adding endless moving pieces. Written and produced by Eduardo Manzanos Brochero, who wrote/financed several Spanish-Italian co-productions. Eduardo Manzanos Brochero who started producing ¨Il Coyote¨ and ¨The Jiusticia De Coyote¨ by Joaquin Romero Marchent with Abel Salazar and Gloria Marin . After that , he produced with his company Copercines ¨Vengeance of Zorro¨ and ¨L'Ombra Di Zorro¨ (1962) by Joaquin Marchent with Frank Latimore . Eduardo Manzanos built a Western little town in Hoyo De Manzanares (Madrid) called ¨Golden City¨ with sets by Jaime Perez Cubero and Jose Luis Galicia who were also in charge of Kriminal's sets .This original initiative corresponded to this prestigious writer /producer/director Eduardo Brochero who saw the potential of European Westerns and commissioned to the production designers Jaime Pérez Cubero and José Luis Galicia (Construcine) the task of raising the set , as in 1962 the first ¨Paella¨ set in Spain was built . Then , the first filming there was made : ¨The terrible sheriff (62) . A year later , there came Sergio Leone to shoot the iconic ¨A fistful of Dollars¨ with which the boom of Spaghetti/Chorizo Western was burst .The film was average but professionally directed by Fernando Cerchio and uncredited Nando Cicero. Cerchio only had limited resources at his disposal, and we're left with a fairly flat and unengaging adventure that often seems to be little more than a standard crime movie with a comic book character attached. Director Fernando Cerchio often used pseudonym Fred Ringold. He written/directed several action/adventure/ mini-epics movies , such as : 1968 Los Cuatro Budas De Kriminal , 1967 Secretísimo , 1964 Totó against the Black Pirate ,1963 Totò and Cleopatra , 1962 The red mask , 1962 Daggers of blood , 1962 Totó versus Maciste , 1961 Queen of Nile , 1960 Il Sepolcro Dei Re , 1959 Giuditta and Oloferne , 1957 La Venere Di Cheronea , 1957 Desert lovers , 1957 Mysteries in Paris , 1955 I Quattro Del Getto Tonante , 1954 El Vizconde De Bragelonne , 1952 Il Bandolero Stanco and Son of Lagardere . Rating: 5.5/10.

Second and last entry in the “Kriminal” series – good-looking, light-weight Italian capers with an exotic touch originating from a comic strip. Whereas the first film concerned a string of diamond robberies (from what I’m able to recollect), this involves the search for a couple of missing paintings by world-renowned artists – the map of the location in question is hidden inside four identical statues of a Buddha. As in KRIMINAL (1966), the quest sends our anti-hero globe-trotting – London (his escape from an Istanbul prison, where his initial adventure had concluded, having occurred off-screen), Spain and, then, across the sea to the desert of Lebanon (the Goya and Rembrandt works are kept in an ancient tomb!).

Having re-read my review of the original in preparation for this one, back then I had found Glenn Saxson “a wooden lead”; however, I think he has grown nicely into the part – ably demonstrating the character’s resourcefulness (fleecing insurance companies, nonchalantly disposing of his double-crossing female partner, posing as a messenger to present his arch-nemesis with a booby-trap wedding gift[!] and an erudite gentleman on the ship in order to frame a naïve fellow passenger for his crimes: in this respect, the script often utilizes the trademark skeletal costume to throw his pursuers’ scent off Kriminal’s trail…apart from the expected scaring of gullible victims), wit and magnetism. The wonderful theme from the original (by Raymond Full) is reprised here, which blends quite well with the new score from Manuel Parada; also returning from the first film are luscious “Euro-Cult” starlet Helga Line' (albeit in a different role – a femme fatale who’s a rival to the titular figure for the priceless paintings) and Andrea Bosic as the Scotland Yard officer still after Kriminal. Here, too, are the occasional delightful transitions to animation taken straight from the comics; I’ve never come across the latter – but I guess this goes to show how the live-action version was a faithful rendition of the original.

While I don’t recall the first film enough to objectively judge how much of a lesser achievement the sequel actually is (I’m prepared to give the Umberto Lenzi film the benefit of the doubt, though I’m certain of its own rather middling qualities when stacked up against the definitive Pop Art-tinged Master Criminal film of the era – Mario Bava’s DANGER: DIABOLIK [1968]), it’s a superficial but effortlessly fun ride. If I had to put in one discernible criticism, I’d say that the desert climax is a bit long-drawn out…except that it leads directly to the surreal fade-out gag. By the way, at least one source mentions the uncredited contribution of director Nando Cicero in connection with the film; also my DivX copy froze a couple of times during playback on my compatible player but went by smoothly on my DVD-ROM. I think yet another DivX-to-DVD-R conversion is in order here...

Before I've seen this, I thought it's probably as weak as many other similar films from the same period. But no, the film is well built, well played, by all the actors. Glenn Saxson is very good, he made me thinking of two exceptional Italian actors, Enrico Maria Salerno and Gastone Moschin. Helga Liné is very convincing in the role of a deadly vamp woman. Andrea Bosic is good as the Scotland Yard policeman. The film it's not as good as "Danger: Diabolik" (1968) Diabolik (original title), same genre, made in the same year, but still worthy of viewing. I would have preferred that Kriminal doesn't die in the end, in order to continue his adventures in other films.