Sotto il vestito niente II

By the late eighties, the Giallo genre had almost completely dried up with only the great Dario Argento's releases, along with a handful of other films, being anywhere near seeing. One film that is certainly a part of the worthwhile non-Argento efforts is this one; as while it's a ling way from being perfect, what we do have here is a strong mystery storyline fused with a good atmosphere - and what more could you ask for from a Giallo? The original Italian title is a cause for confusion as it suggests the film to be a sequel to the (also rather good) 1985 Giallo Nothing Underneath; although the two films are unrelated. Too Beautiful to Die focuses on the production of a music video for a band named 'Blade'. Naturally, the director wants the video to involve blades; and several shiny blades take centre stage. The star of the show later resists the advances of a powerful man in a Jacuzzi, and she soon winds up dead. The police begin to investigate; and it's not long before more people involved with the production turn up as corpses.

Director Dario Piana creates a really good atmosphere for the film and clearly has a good understanding of what the Giallo genre is all about. There's a blue tint that features throughout and the director makes good use of the post-apocalyptic style of the music video at the centre of the film. It's also very much a product of the time it was made; the film features that 'trashy eighties' style throughout and the director is not afraid of implementing some extremely tacky eighties music as well. Of course, it's the murders that will have most viewers tuning in; and while they're not on par with the goriest of the genre, they are none too shabby either and plenty of the red stuff gets spilled in inventive ways. It has to be said that the film is a bit messy and certain moments can drag more than a little bit; but there's always a tense chase scene or gory murder just around the corner to keep things exciting. It all boils down to a well thought out and somewhat surprising ending that has the added advantage of actually making some sense! I can't say that this is an absolute must see for genre fans, but it's certainly well worth tracking down. Recommended.

The models of an agency are invited to a party by the owner of the agency, Alex. During the party, Alex is playing games in his computer and it looks like the girls have the house to themselves, but there's another guest…. and an accident happens - a fatal accident. This will start a string of murders - all those that were at that party begin to fall one by one. The police intervene, investigations are made, but the killer is like an elusive shadow….

"Too beautiful to die" (Sotto il vestito niente 2) is a giallo that uses successfully the aesthetics of music videos - there's a tasty blend of images and music. The film is atmospheric and the murder scenes are inventive and suspenseful. It's a treat for the eyes and ears – really gorgeous girls, flamboyant colors, good 80s music.

Highly recommended!

If you like bizarre gialli try "A taste for fear" by Piccio Raffanini, a strange mixture of giallo and science fiction - psychedelic colors, murders in a not so distant future, surreal and dreamy story. Recommended for those with adventurous tastes.

Sleazy talent agent Alex Conti (Giovanni Tamberi) pimps out his models for sex. At the behest of a powerful client, he arranges for unwary young beauty Sylvia O'Neal (Gioia Scola) to attend one of his shindigs, where she is held down by the other women and raped. Fleeing the party, distraught Sylvia drives off in Alex's car; her charred body is found hours later in a burnt out wreck. As the police try to discover what happened to her, someone begins to kill off those who were also present at the party, the murderer's weapon of choice being a multi-bladed prop created for a music video.

Set in the glossy world of fashion models, Dario Piana's Too Beautiful To Die is a slick and sexy giallo, full of stylish imagery, but totally vacuous, the director exploiting his female stars' gyrating hard bodies in raunchy video-shoots before bumping them off. I have no problem with the film's objectification of women who make a living from their looks, but I do object to the film's lacklustre death scenes, which are bereft of creativity and decent gore. This kind of film lives or dies on the strength of its kills, and the relatively bloodless and mundane murders in Too Beautiful To Die are instantly forgettable, making this a mediocre effort overall.

Sylvia O'Neal is a successful model working in Milan. After the final shoot for a big ad campaign, Sylvia attends a party with some of the other models. Sylvia doesn't realize it, but she has caught the eye of an older, powerful man. She's doesn't realize that he will also be at the party or the party's real purpose. She refuses his advances, but she's not strong enough to fight off the other models. While they hold her, the man rapes her. Distraught, she leaves the party in a hurry only to be found burned to death in a car the following morning. It looks like an accident until the others at the party start turning up dead. And when the police discover Sylvia was shot through the head before the car crash, it's obvious a killer is on the loose.

The 70s were the heyday for the Italian giallo. So it's always nice to discover one made in the 80s, nevermind the late 80s, that's actually good. Too Beautiful to Die is a solid example of a latter day giallo. An unknown killer, a fantastically gruesome murder weapon, artistic touches (tracking shots and blue lighting), a boatload of beautiful women, and plenty of atmosphere - this one has all the elements you expect to find in a giallo. Too Beautiful to Die also features some of the best (or worst) of the 80s. The music, clothing, and hair - all from the 80s. The ad campaigns and music videos the women are working on are incredibly reminiscent of a Robert Palmer video. It's a visual straight out of the 80s. In fact, much of the movie is a bit like watching a string of 80s-era music videos strung together into a film. Plenty of style. Another plus for Too Beautiful to Die are the plot twists and turns you expect to find in a good giallo. There are plenty of clues and red herrings sprinkled throughout that will keep you guessing to the end. With about 20 minutes to go, I was sure I had things figured out. And while I was partially correct, the movie had one more curveball up its sleeve. Very nice. If it weren't for the poor explanation of the killer's motivation, a couple of slow spots in the screenplay, and some questionable acting, I could have easily rated this one higher. Still, it's a nice giallo that fans of the genre should seek out.

A mostly predictable late-in-the-game giallo with some beautiful photography and a love of slow motion shots. There's only one or two standout stalk/slash scenes, but they're incredibly well done especially one involving an ill-fated model being trapped in a sound stage at night and having to run from the killer up the catwalks above the stage.