Olhos da morte

The low rating for this seminal piece of 70's weirdness is absolutely ridiculous. "Death Has Blue Eyes" tells a fascinating and unusual tale of a pair of hustlers who happen to meet up with a pair of mysterious blonde ladies, who both have the ability to read minds, and can cause a person's heart to stop just by sheer will. Starting out as a truly off-the-wall buddy movie, with the likable scam artists Ches & Robert, stealing a guy's identification and plane ticket and jet setting into Athens for an adventure of debauchery, they meet up with Christina and her "mother" Geraldine, when they get caught trying to bill their hotel meal to the room of the women, who then drag the guys into a world of danger and espionage! Light comedy soon turns serious, and very strange as the men discover the blonde ladies are not what they seem. Told with mind bending style and color, music and eye popping sets, the audience is treated to shootouts, helicopter attacks, motorcycle chases, explosions, assassinations, along with frequent nudity, "Death Has Blue Eyes" is so much fun that you would have to be unconscious to not enjoy it. I'm surprised at how few people actually appreciate this absolute gem of avant garde cinema. No obscure title is more deserving of a digital restoration than "Death Has Blue Eyes," and I would personally consider the bluray as "The Holy Grail" of art house/grindhouse excellence. Strangely director Nico Mastorakis' earlier movie "Island of Death" has received the coveted restoration, and that film is basically a worthless, artless piece of junk..a fact that the director himself admits in interviews. However if that resurfaced then it means there is a chance for this one also. Presently available in a severely cut VHS bootleg, (my copy only runs 76 minutes), it is time for this movie to be rediscovered.

If you're looking for a totally crazy and off-the-wall film, you should try to track down a copy of this one (it won't be easy). It has everything: threesomes, car and motorcycle chases, ESP, cold war espionage and naked female assassins (only one, in a very brief scene, but I thought I should mention it). The only things missing are narrative coherence and directorial competence; at some points the continuity is so poor that it seems as if parts of the movie are missing. But considering its rarity, as well as the fact that it's Nico Mastorakis' second film after the notorious "Devil In Mykonos", this one has definite cult possibilities. It's not, however, as much of a flesh fest as the other reviewer suggests. (**)

Ok so the Greek title is quite different from the international one as I can see here. Well I watched this exploitation flick and while I wouldn't call this perfect in any sense of the word, it does the job - or what you should expect from it more or less. Not so much blood here, still enough death and violence overall and some chase scenes. Oh and a lot of nudity! Although you can tell there are some actresses in here who had clauses or a deal with the director not to be depicted nude (or have their bare breast shown).

Now that may sound extreme, but I'm just letting you know. Also do not watch this to get titilated - there is not much in the sense of sexy time going on - a lot of interruption before things get too heated. But the movie scores otherwise (no pun intended), like with the completely mad premise of a woman being able to mind control and other stuff that those blue eyes are able to do.

Our two main male characters on the other hand are not really likeable. I reckon it is with the woman we feel most sympathetic with ... but even there we may take issue(s) ... the movie has a lot of flaws, which can be seen as weakness or as something you relish in - especially considering the budget and the mayhem depicts - again the idea(s) alone are far out to say the least.

Depending on your taste you'll have fun or be furious after watching this ...

Fancy wasting your time? Then check out this Grecian offering, which boasts two of the most obnoxious men you'll ever meet. They're cards, they really are.. stealing things from incredibly stupid people, sleeping with whoever they want despite being unbelievably ugly and dodging fake looking bullets and dodgy motorcycle thugs like there's no tomorrow. Who better to protect the life of a psychic who has witnessed a murder in Poland, I ask you? 'Hilarious' adventures with naked maids, rude talking birds and stripping at gunpoint ensue.

It is difficult for me express just how appalling this film is. Every single aspect of it stinks in a way few films do, and it takes a special kind of non-talent to make something this offensively bad. The metaphor that I could use is that of a modern art picture, where people throw random amounts of paint at the canvas and hope it will turn out to be a masterpiece. Unfortunately, all we end up with here is a mess, and a tedious and pointless one at that. It isn't even worth me thinking up an amusing punchline to end the review like I usually do. So I'll simply close by stating for the record I wouldn't wish this movie on my worst enemy, and if any of the actors/ directors/ caterers involved in this crap had any sort of career afterwards, the world is indeed a tragic place..

Death Has Blue Eyes is one of those eccentric 1970s oddities that feels like it sprang straight from the bottom shelf of a dusty VHS rental store. It's a film that tosses together a loose espionage plot, psychic powers, car chases, and erotic diversions, then wraps it all in a hazy, sun-bleached aesthetic that screams Eurocult. But for all its scattered charm and offbeat ambition, the film never quite finds its rhythm, instead stumbling through a muddled script and inconsistent tone.

Visually, the movie is bathed in that grainy Mediterranean glow that defines many Greek genre films of the era. The seaside locations and bright skies provide a deceptively breezy backdrop to what's actually a fairly grimy underworld of hitmen, psychic experiments, and covert surveillance. Director Nico Mastorakis has a clear love for international thrillers, but his execution is uneven. Action sequences veer between sluggish and slapstick, and the erotic elements are more awkward than sensual, feeling less like deliberate provocation and more like obligatory genre padding.

Jessica Dublin, as the mysterious Eastern European agent Geraldine, is perhaps the most memorable figure in the cast. She brings a cool detachment that borders on robotic, which suits her character but offers little emotional texture. Maria Aliferi, playing the clairvoyant girl, has a quiet intensity, though the script rarely gives her anything substantial to do beyond stare into the distance or get undressed. The central character, a fast-talking hustler type played by Chris Nomikos, anchors the film with a kind of greasy charm, but he's more of a cipher than a compelling protagonist.

The film's biggest issue is its identity crisis. Is it a sci-fi thriller? A softcore caper? A satire of spy flicks? At times it hints at each, but never fully commits to any. The pacing lurches from meandering conversations to sudden bursts of violence, while the musical score jumps between sleazy lounge and spaced-out synth with little cohesion.

Still, there's a certain curiosity factor to it all. For viewers with a taste for exploitation cinema, Death Has Blue Eyes offers a time capsule glimpse into a bygone era of anything-goes filmmaking. It never truly delivers on its potential, but there's enough weirdness and aesthetic appeal to justify a late-night watch with adjusted expectations.