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"4 mosche di velluto grigio" aka. "Four Flies on Grey Velvet" is the last film in Dario Argento's animal trilogy, which also includes the brilliant "Bird With The Crystal Plumage" (1970) and the very stylish "Cat o' Nine Tails" (1971). This is certainly Argento's oddest film, and also by far the least widely known of his Gialli. While certainly not one of Argento's masterpieces, this strange, and highly interesting flick is nonetheless more than worth tracking down, for a variety of reasons.

When rock drummer Roberto (Michael Brandon) wants to take a guy to task who has been following him for days, the guy threatens him with a knife, and in the subsequent scuffle, Roberto accidentally stabs the guy to death. The incident is photographed by a masked psychopath, who subsequently begins to stalk Roberto and people close to him... Sounds like the beginning of a typical Giallo, but, apart from the typical formula of a mystery killer, murders from the killer's perspective, etc., this film differs from Argento's other Gialli in a variety of aspects. This is partly a very comedic Giallo, that, in some parts even features absurd slapstick humor. Several characters are purely satirical, such as a (very) gay private eye, or a sarcastic writer who likes narrating bizarre short stories. Another supporting role is played by none other than the ass-kicking cult actor/comedian Bud Spencer! The superb score by maestro Ennio Morricone is one more reason to watch this film. Dario Argento is one of my all-time favorite directors, and while "For Flies On Grey Velvet" is certainly not one of his highlights, it is definitely a weird and highly recommendable film that my fellow Italian Horror fans should not miss!

'Four Flies On Grey Velvet (1971)' is the last instalment in Dario Argento's so-called 'Animal Trilogy', and it was apparently initially intended to be his Giallo-genre swan song. Thankfully, he subsequently decided not to abandon the genre he's so readily associated with. The film doesn't feel like the product of someone fed up with a framework they've helped define but are also trapped by, but rather as an attempt to widen the boundaries of said framework. At the same time, it is a very classic Giallo and it arguably suffers from not having the same strong aesthetic of Argento's later work. The story starts out strong by inverting the typical inciting incident: instead of the protagonist witnessing a murder, someone witnesses him committing one. Our strangely blasé hero must then try to figure out exactly who that was, because they begin to blackmail him without actually demanding any money. It's definitely a strong premise, but unfortunately it sort of gives way under the pressure of the generally loose plotting. The lead character kind of just takes everything in his stride, taking way too long to actively try and alleviate his situation. Even then, the steps he takes to get the better of his blackmailer are kind of vague, and the blackmailer themselves doesn't really seem to have a plan that's all that solid. It all just seems to be spinning its wheels somewhat. However, its elements of soft pseudo surrealism are kind of compelling in their own way, as are its bouts of unexpected broad comedy. It's always fairly entertaining, even when it's at its least propulsive. The opening and closing movements are notably better than the midsection, too. Ultimately, this is a solid Giallo thriller that may be one of Argento's weaker efforts, but is still a fair bit of fun throughout.

The most elusive of Argento's films has become more legendary than most simply because of the fact that it's been nearly unobtainable in a decent version. Most have had to do with very-below average bootlegs that render some of the film nearly unwatchable, and therefore pretty hard to judge. Recently an above average bootleg was released in terms of visual quality and a lot of scenes come to life and one is finally in a position to judge the film as a whole.

Story wise, Four Flies on Grey Velvet doesn't win any awards but it's a good set up for a thriller. Drummer Roberto Tobias (Michael Brandon) accidentally kills a stalker and is photographed while doing so. The masked fiend who snapped the shots starts threatening Roberto, and his wife (Mimsy Farmer) is very worried for her husband. As it turns out, the man who Roberto thinks he killed is very much alive, but not for long. Roberto hires a gay private investigator to find out the truth. Say more and I've ruined everything for the viewer.

If you look at Argento's work as a whole, Four Flies fits in very nicely. You can clearly see a young Argento experimenting with visual tricks that he would later do even better in later films. Story wise, the film is similar to some of his later works and even a bit of a rehash of his earlier ones. Some fundamental psychology concerning repressed guilt and anger (a very recurring theme in Argento's work) and once again the central character is an artist who's thrust into a dangerous world of lunatics and murder. This would be perfected in his next thriller Deep Red.

It's just that the film doesn't have enough material to keep the viewer on the edge of his seat. It drags on too long, many scenes (and not to mention some characters) are almost completely pointless. What's Bud Spencer doing here? He serves no narrative purpose but I'll admit it's fun to see the guy.

Plot wise, this is slim pickens. Argento and fellow writers were lazy this time around. The film has a dynamic start and immediately you're interested. If you've seen The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, my guess is you'll have the culprit here figured out before half time. Plus, there aren't many red herrings here and a lack of suspects make the guess that much easier.

But on to the good things. Certain sequences are very impressive. Brandon's encounter with his stalker in the beginning is beautifully filmed and stylish as hell. A murder that occurs in a park is masterfully realised. Very suspenseful, dreamlike and stylish. Not that dissimilar to Stefania Casini's chase sequence in Suspiria. Another murder sequence that sets up the film's title is also quite impressive. Last but not least the knockout ending (which can finally be appreciated now that there's a decent version available) deserves all the hype it's already gotten. An Argento film is never a complete dud (not even Phantom), it always has some things going for it.

Special nod must also go to Argento for taking things up a nodge and taking some risks. Feeling that the Giallo genre was drying up, Argento comes up with unique ways to keep audiences interested. That special camera, for instance, that captures the last image seen by a deceased person. Well, I've never heard of it and it's quite an idea. You gotta give Argento props for trying new things, even though they don't always work out.

It must be said that Argento should have gone with a different leading man. Michael Brandon is remarkably lifeless in almost every scene he's in. Mimsy Farmer fares better as Brandon's wife and that gay detective provides a few chuckles. That said, most of the comedy here is pretty silly and a little distracting.

But, as said above, this is Argento experimenting with visuals, editing and writing and his later films were better realised. I doubt this film will appeal to very many people but for fans of Argento there's plenty here to savour and enjoy.

As with the previous two entries in the unofficial Animal Trilogy, Four Flies on Grey Velvet is short on explicit gore but brimming with atmosphere and artistic ingenuity, with set-piece murders primed and mined for maximum tension. It was with this film that Argento began to cement his particular style and is something of a crucible for future ideas. The murder of Roberto's maid in a local park foreshadows John Saxon's fate in Tenebre, and with its sudden lapses in time and attempted escape through the cobwebbed space between two buildings (to a soundtrack of whispers and sighs) it also sows seeds that would flourish in Suspiria. Other visual motifs (crimson curtains, extreme close-ups, inanimate objects suddenly wielded by a seemingly maniacal camera) would be repeated or re-jigged in Deep Red, Phenomena and Opera.

Argento's original intention was to have a gay protagonist and though the character of Roberto is still open to such a reading - his victimisation being as a result of a fear of being outed (as a murderer) has obvious correlations (note also Brandon's shaggy mane v Farmer's gamine crop or the rather tame bathtub scene with Francine Racette which sees Roberto playfully seducing his mirror image) - the more overt references are passed to Jean-Pierre Marielle, who brings immense likability to a small role and whose swish factor is tempered by a steely determination to finally cracking a case. A frosty Farmer acquits herself well, though Brandon is merely okay. Argento's fascination with weird science (here ludicrous by design but ingenious in execution) gives the film its animal-themed title, and the finale boasts one of his greatest sequences - a stunning, slow-motion shot of a car impacting with the back of a lorry, which marries chillingly beautiful aesthetics to Hollywood folklore, scored with Morricone's haunting "Come un Madrigale".

Four Flies is a solid giallo and an important entry in the Director's canon which bears repeated viewing, blurring gender roles and sexual identity, adding subtext and hit and miss humour, asylum flashbacks, well-executed deaths and a recurring nightmare in the form of a sun-bleached, public beheading - the significance of which turns out to be twofold. It also has in spades what a good Argento giallo conveys like no other, that chilling feeling of something wholly alien on the loose in human form.

A musician (Michael Brandon) is stalked by an unknown killer who's blackmailing him for an accidental killing of another stalker. But is everything what it appears to be?

The film opens with a great shot of drums from overhead and a beating heart, knowing that Argento is in the middle of his most stylistic period. Even the man with white gloves and disturbingly childish mask taking photographs is classic Argento.

I liked the concept of the images burned on to the retina, and I enjoyed the humor of having a character named "God" and the "Hallelujah" chorus. This being the last Ennio Morricone score in an Argento film was not lost on me, as the musical style shifted greatly after this one. (Not necessarily in a bad way -- Goblin and Simonetti are incredible.)

I was surprised to see homosexuality being so openly discussed in a film from this year. Maybe in Italy it was more acceptable than in America? Either way, an interesting addition.

Deluxe giallo from writer-director Dario Argento, with a presentation so stylish it threatens to overwhelm the plot. Dedicated husband and drummer for a rock band angrily confronts a mysterious man who's been following him; they scuffle and the stranger ends up stabbed with his own knife. No one is around to help the shaken musician, but there is one witness: a person in costume with a camera. This isn't a blackmailer--they don't want money--but the musician is quickly taunted with photos and notes...and soon, the people closest to him start dropping like flies. Argento shows an uncanny grasp of character here, and his roster of victims and suspects is delicious (there's also a scripture-quoting con-man who acts as a lookout, a terrified postman afraid of delivering the mail and a gay gumshoe hired by the protagonist who hasn't solved one case in his last 87!). Argento is a cinematic madman; his screenplay might not hold up under close scrutiny, but it's hard to nitpick with the small details when the end results are this tantalizing. *** from ****

The drummer of a rock and roll band Roberto Tobias (Michael Brandon) sees a man wearing sunglasses stalking him everywhere. He follows the man to a derelict opera house and when he confronts the stranger, he pulls a knife. However Roberto accidentally stabs him in self-defense and the man falls from the stage to the floor. Out of the blue, a spotlight is turned on and Roberto is photographed in the crime scene by a masked person on a theater box. Roberto leaves the place and returns home. On the next morning, he reads the newspaper the news about a stranger called Carlo Marosi that was murdered. During the night, Roberto and his wife Nina (Mimsy Farmer) welcome friends and Roberto finds a photo of the previous night entwined with his vinyls. He tells the truth to Nina and their maid Amelia (Maria Fabbri) overhears the story. While Robeto meets his friend Godfrey (Bud Spencer) to ask for help, Amelia schedules an encounter in the park with someone to blackmail with the photos she had found in the apartment; however Amelia is murdered in the park Meanwhile Nina's cousin Dalia (Francine Racette) arrives to stay with Nina. But soon Carlo Marosi appears eating at a restaurant and calling someone to meet him. What has happened in the opera house?

"4 mosche di velluto grigio" is a flawed film with am intriguing title. The atmosphere is suffocating most of the time; the camera work uses unusual angles and positions; the cast has good performance. But the plot point with the identity of the killer is weak and quite senseless. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Quatro Moscas Sobre Veludo Cinza" ("Four Flies on Grey Velvet")

Four Flies on Grey Velvet is Dario Argento's rarest genre film. It completes the Animal Trilogy and is the movie that preceded the magnificent Deep Red. Having never been officially available on video or DVD, Four Flies remains a bit of an enigma. It's fair to say that it is not an entirely successful movie – it has serious flaws in story and acting – however, it showcases early stylistic experimentation by Argento. And, as such, is an important entry of giallo cinema.

The story involves a rock drummer who accidentally kills a man and is drawn into a web of murder by a masked assassin who appears to have a vendetta against him.

The opening credit sequence is a memorable affair, incorporating pounding drums and close ups of a beating heart. This title sequence, however, is a good indicator of the inconsistencies of the film we are about to see, as included within this impressive opening is a silly section involving a fly that irritates rock drummer Brandon. The inclusion of this nonsense is an early example of one of the films major weaknesses – the comedy. It is never funny. We have a completely unfunny postman, a guru fisherman God who says absolutely nothing of interest at any point and a man with a moustache who tells a succession of abysmally unfunny stories to an audience of giggling women. Argento has never had flair for comedy, it's just not his arena and this film shows why. Imagine how bad a giallo directed by Woody Allen would be, well that's how bad comedy directed by Argento is.

But onwards and upwards. Thankfully he handles the suspense scenes very well indeed. We have the bizarre opening murder in the theatre witnessed by a highly creepy masked figure. A scary scene involving a girl hiding in a cupboard while the killer stalks outside. A sleazy episode in the underground. And, best of all, an excellent set-piece where a woman suddenly realises that she is alone in a menacing empty park that was previously filled with children and haunting carousel music playing over the tannoy. Four Flies is predominantly an exercise in suspense as all of these well handled sequences testify. The violence is restrained even for giallos of the period. Argento more than makes up for this with stylistic flourishes like the nice camera pan of the phone wires leading to the location of the killer, the shots of Michael Brandon driving his car quickly edited together with his subsequent POV approach to the private investigator's office and the deranged asylum flashback scenes. The movie is well shot with a number of inventive jump edits and unusual angles, giving a taste of Argento's films to come.

However, all of these excellent elements are strung together by a somewhat ridiculous plot. There are certainly holes here, for example, how could the newspapers report finding the body of the dead man if he's not actually dead?! And as for the 'four flies' revelation near the end, well I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen the movie but it really is quite ridiculous. And the killer's motivations are, to say the least, uneven. The acting, too, is not helpful. Sadly, Michael Brandon resembles a plank of wood for the majority of his screen-time. His acting range stretches from 'a bit bored' to 'quite annoyed'. He certainly doesn't help draw the viewer in. And where Brandon under-acts, Mimsy Farmer over-acts. It makes for quite unusual viewing when they are on screen together. There is a lack of chemistry here for sure. In general, the exposition scenes are a bit clunky throughout the movie. And we even have a bit of unintentional humour in the exchanges between Brandon and the homosexual private investigator. If you turned the movie on at this point you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching Carry On Giallo.

The music is variable. This was the first movie where Argento incorporated rock music. From here on he would use it extensively. Similar to the rock music provided by future collaborators Goblin, the rock music here is strange, except here it is not strange in a good way. The vocalist sounds like a deaf man trying to copy Robert Plant. It's grim. And it's by Ennio Morricone so it's a bit of a shock but fortunately he also provides some good avant-garde jazzy compositions too. Much better.

Overall, despite its short-falls, Four Flies on Grey Velvet is too interesting a giallo movie to be disregarded. It is a key experimental work in Argento's cannon. It may be flimsy of plot and misguided of humour but, as is the way with giallo cinema, these elements have to be weighed against the more sensory aspects – the visuals, the music, the atmosphere. And happily, there is more than enough good to outweigh the bad.

This movie has some of Argento's signature visual style, but it's just plain amateur, with incredibly bland, dislikable characters and a totally aimless story that quickly falls apart. Everything great about Argento's other movies is missing here: it fails at suspense, pacing, character development, and a twist ending. It could be worth a glance if you're curious about giallo history, but if you actually want a good story, this movie is just plain stupid and even insulting to its audience.

A lot of reviews on here absolutely gush about this film, and it's clear that many people love Argento's movies just for their visual style. But that is NOT enough to make a movie good! This movie isn't a slideshow of pretty pictures, it's a murder mystery, and its story is an embarrassing failure. Ignoring its huge flaws does everyone a disservice, including Argento, who sets a way higher bar with his other movies.

The plot is extremely simple: Our hero, Roberto, notices a strange man stalking him. He confronts the man and accidentally kills him while a masked figure takes photos of the murder. The photographer then threatens Roberto, murders the people around him, but strangely doesn't demand any blackmail. It would all be very mysterious, except for two things: 1) the villain obviously has a woman's voice, and 2 of the 3 female characters get killed off. Gee, I wonder who the villain could be. And 2) the movie tells us WAY too early that the villain was a former mental patient, so we know there's no clever revenge motive, the killer is just cuckoo.

A better film such as Argento's "Deep Red" gives us varied little glimpses into the killer's past, so at the end we have this great "aha!" moment of understanding how those images fit together. But in "Four Flies," Argento hadn't learned "show, don't tell" yet. So the killer just gives a cliched villain speech at the end, where she exposits her motivation in the most heavyhanded way possible, but she just tells us the same info we got from the insane asylum scenes earlier! It's not just hack writing, it's botching the most basic stuff.

So there's no setup to the mystery, and the payoff falls flat on its face. Besides that, the movie is mostly a disjointed mess of pointless time-wasting scenes. Our plank-of-wood "hero" Roberto never takes any action. He spends a lot of time saying the same whiny, mopey things over and over and over. But he also throws parties with his lame comic relief friends, and he keeps playing drums with his band. In fact, Roberto is such a brainless moron, he seems to totally forget about the whole "serial killer stalking me and my friends" thing, and he spends a totally carefree, jolly time rocking out with his bandmates while his girlfriend gets brutally stabbed to death.

Mind you, she tried calling him in the nick of time, and he could've saved her life, but he brushed her off because he was having too much fun. Oh, and she got murdered because he left her alone in his apartment, which he knows the killer has already repeatedly broken into. Great hero and great script, eh?

Roberto expresses no remorse for getting his girlfriend killed through his total stupidity, but that's OK because he's the "good guy" and we're just supposed to root for him. Oh, and also he's married (and strongly implied to be leeching off his wife's money) and instantly seduced this other girl the moment his wife's back was turned. That's a charmless scene, where Roberto gropes and paws at the girl despite her angry protests. She rightly calls him a pig, but she instantly falls for him anyway. Literally, there's a jump cut and she instantly goes from acting disgusted to being his obedient pet. It's like a 14-year-old virgin's fantasy, where he has no idea how he could actually seduce someone, so he just skips over that part. And after he's gotten his kicks from this girl, she's conveniently killed off. It's really really pathetic stuff. At points like this, the film goes from merely dumb to insulting and embarrassing.

There are a couple atmospheric chase scenes, and the film does deserve credit for being stylish and a bit surreal in these parts. The scene where Amelia, Roberto's maid, goes to a park and becomes increasingly fearful is the highlight of the movie. But these brief pieces can't compensate for what a sloppy, dumb mess the rest of the film is.

There's a reason this film is lesser-known. A lot of the reviews on here are misleading because they're written by hardcore Argento fans, but this film falls very short of Argento's usual standards. And even ignoring the director's other films, this is just an amateurish B-movie by any standard. If you've seen all the famous giallo movies and you're curious about the weaker ones, then this film would be interesting. But otherwise, you should spend your time on something better.

"Four Flies On Grey Velvet" is surely an odd, truly bizarre film, even by Dario Argento standards. In my opinion however, it most definitely is not a bad film, much less one of Argento's worst. Much of what is said about the film, by critics and fans alike, seems (to me) to wrongly condemn it. I definitely can understand why one might be frustrated by this film, but I don't believe that's a reason to reject it completely. Some may feel the acting and/or story isn't all that good. I would respectfully disagree. I feel the acting is strange and aloof, but I believe that it works in favor of the film; and the story is confusing, but that is typical for an Argento film, and as a viewer, I appreciate not being handed all of the answers on a platter. Perhaps what repels many viewers is consistently being displaced espacially within the film context; that is to say one (the viewer and/or the characters) doesn't necessarily always know where one is within the "reality" of the film or how one got there. Here, in what is perhaps Argento's most abstract film to date, the director makes some very bold, disarming choices with editing; choices I believe serve a greater purpose and add chillingly to the effectiveness of the film. For instance, the sequence in which the protagonist (Michael Brandon) is driving to the office of a private investigator. Shots of him driving in his car to the office are quickly intercut with gliding POV shots approaching the office building, going up the stairs, nearing the office door. The effect is that of feeling as if he is literally driving up the stairs and down the hallway to the office door, creating a tense and strangely humorous sequence of events. This editing technique, prevalent throughout the film, is surely a forceful presence and I suppose could turn off some viewers. Regardless of the editing, the atmosphere and visual punch of the film is pure Argento, albeit an Argento who was still developing his technique and discovering his style. There are many beautiful and stunning visuals to be appreciated, including the violent, shocking ending sequence and a very creepy chase scene in an otherworldly city park. My favorite visual flourish in this film is the reoccuring nightmare had by the protagonist, in which a Middle Eastern execution is taking place in a bleached out desert dreamscape; thoroughly chilling. A frantic, highly enjoyable score from the master Ennio Morricone adds greatly to the proceedings as well. I really like this film, despite whatever flaws it may have, and have but one question for anyone who thinks "Four Flies On Grey Velvet" is (one of) Argento's worst... "Have you seen "The Five Days Of Milan" or his "Phantom of The Opera"?

Definitely not for everyone's tastes, but a certain must for any Argento fan, Euro-horror fan, or anyone who just really wants to be daring and see something totally different.

Roberto Tobias is the drummer in a rock group. He has become increasingly stressed as a strange man has been following him. Eventually he confronts the man, who pulls a knife on him! In the scuffle that follows the man is stabbed and dies. At this point Roberto realises that not only is there a witness, in a mask, who has taken pictures through a telephoto lens. Later the masked witness confronts him and tells him that they haven't finished with him. No money has been demanded but Roberto assumes it is a prelude to blackmail. Then people around him start being murdered. Will Roberto be able to find the identity of his tormentor before it is too late?

On the one hand this is a mystery film but being from director Dario Argento it is something more... something weirder. As one would expect from him there are plenty of disturbing moments; these are made even better by the stylish way in which it is filmed and the music used. I had expected weirdness but what I didn't expect, and was a pleasant surprise, was the level of humour. When the killer is revealed it isn't a complete surprise but that said it was neither too obvious. Overall a fun film that I'd certainly recommend to fans of Argento; I need to watch more.

Is this film the lost classic that people have been harping on about? Well, that's all subjective I guess. I do like my gialli cheesy and groovy, and this film certainly has that – although it does feel slightly lacking in the 'investigative' side of things. Never mind though, as Argento goes for crazy imagery and comes up trumps in that respect.

A drummer for a prog-rock band finds himself being followed by a mysterious figure for an entire day. Losing his rag, he turns pursuer and ends up chasing the guy into a disused theatre, where he ends up stabbing the guy in a brief struggle. That's bad enough, but the person wearing the creepy mask and taking photos during the struggle is going to cause our guy all sorts of problems, as pictures start turning up in our hero's home, and someone is stalking around his house at night.

Who did our man kill? How does the cleaner know who the blackmailer is? And who keeps having flashbacks to an abusive father? A private investigator steps in to help, but I'm saying nothing more, except to say the bodies start piling up before our drummer can discover who's really behind the killings, and nothing is as it seems.

Like Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Cat O' Nine Tails, this early Argento giallo has a healthy dose of humour thrown to the proceedings, what with legend Bud Spencer playing God(frey), a tramp who helps out our drummer guy, a postman who keeps being berated and beaten, and the ultra-camp performance of the PI (a recurring theme in Argento's early films). The crazy visuals are brilliant throughout, and although I wouldn't say it's an outright classic (like Cat O Nine Tails, there's a lot of messing around), it's still a really good giallo.

Also like Cat O Nine Tails, there's a fairly dodgy scientific explanation for things that some people may find a bit hard to swallow, and instead of the killer being discovered through an earlier clue, they're kind of stumbled upon instead (and quite easy to guess). However, you've got to check it out.

Roberto Tobias (Michael Brandon), a rock guitarist married to a beautiful and rich wife, is being followed by a peculiar man in dark glasses. Roberto decides to confront the stranger, but unfortunately for him he ends up killing him in an opera house with a masked individual making photos of the whole debacle. After deciding to hide the matter he starts receiving weird phone calls, letters and pictures of the murder show up in his house during a party. Someone he knows is trying to blackmail him, but unable to seek help from the police he involves Godfred (Bud Spencer), a quirky fellow living life in solitude and poverty on a diet of fish. He in turn has Roberto hire a gay private investigator. All to find out the identity of the mysterious stalker...

As triumphant a movie as all his other three animal movies Dario Argento hit a home run with his artsy murder mysteries. And I must press that Argento really has made murder and death into art - I believe no one ever has made such telling and beautifully terrible death scenes as the master. Add to that the relatively good dialogues, acting plus some very odd humour (focused on a select bunch of weirdo characters populating this thriller) and this is movie that is a must see for any horror fans. Two killings are of extreme note - the first murder in the garden and than the final death scene.

Naturally as always not all is well with the Argento movie. Some of the acting is off and the plot/script has a lot of holes with much room for improvement. Also character building is almost non-existent as Argento typically for him focuses on the atmosphere (to great effect). The camera is as always stylish plus we have some great score from Enrio Morricone to really punctuate the whole feeling of the movie.

I had heard about the giallo genre and had been curious to check out a film or two. I grabbed the very first one that I came across and it turned out to be this film.

The first thing to strike me was the camera work. Of course, by today's standards it seems outdated, but judging a film from the 1970s by today's standards is simply wrong. Argento's direction is captivating and conveys the feeling of being stalked very well. Audience can feel the paranoia of the main protagonist. There were some moments that would stand out even today (especially the ending) As for the plot, it's a murder mystery with some blackmailing thrown in, but finding out who the murderer is is not that complicated. I found the plot rather weak. The characters seemed quite stereotypical (the gay detective is hilariously funny). we also get some psychology explanation (that really doesn't explain much) and probably the stupidest murder motive I have ever seen in a film. I'm sorry, but it was seriously disappointing.

So did I like it? I think yes, I did. But it's definitely not a film for everyone. It's slow and more atmospheric than bloody. Yet it does have a certain charm of its own.

I saw this on the big screen when it first was released in 1973 as a teen and later in 1992 at The Film Institute where it was shown with an unedited Susperia and Dario Argento himself was there to introduce both films and to discuss with the audience his craft after their showings. There must be something with this film since it was chosen for this unique seminar over all his other pre 1992 works. Upon the second viewing of this film, I still find it scary and spellbinding and the secret behind the title is quite chilling. Gives me the creeps just thinking about it. The stylish camerawork and storyline is pure Argento "black glove" period and this is my 3rd favorite film (tied with Deep Red) of his right behind #1 Susperia and #2 Tennebre. Why this film was never released on DVD or at least, after all these years, on VHS is a mystery in itself. I for one will be the first in line to purchase this if Anchor Bay or another reputable DVD distributor releases it.

A twenty-something rock musician named Roberto (Michael Brandon) finds himself being stalked by an old man. The two end up on-stage in an empty and very creepy theater at night. "What are you after man, what's your trip", asks Roberto. But unknown to Roberto, someone wearing a strange mask watches the drama from the balcony.

And so begins another Dario Argento Italian whodunit, the plot of which includes a blackmailer, a cat, a gay private detective, and a slow-motion car crash. The film certainly looks good visually but suffers from a somewhat murky, hard to grasp story.

The script's premise is weak, and the muddled plot structure helps not at all, possibly the result of poor editing. Some characters are really not needed. And the film's ending is disappointingly weak. In addition, the lab experiment using four flies is tenuous at best, but included I suppose in an effort to mesh the story with an animal metaphor.

On the other hand, this film veritably oozes mystery and suspense. Many scenes foreshadow some ominous event, making the plot very scary, en route to the climax where the killer is identified.

The non-script elements really rev-up the terror. Creepy sound effects in the dark, low light levels in interior scenes, close-up camera shots, and a haunting score combine in many sequences to create a stylistically frightening atmosphere.

As with other Argento giallos, the story trends a little weak, but that is offset by terrific visuals, sound effects, and music. Overall however, "Four Flies On Grey Velvet", while good, fares mediocre relative to Argento's cinematic works of true genius.

Four Flies on Grey Velvet has one of the worst protagonists I've seen in a movie in a good while.

It's also a little boring, when it comes to pacing and what it's actually about, though there are a few creative sequences spread thinly throughout, and the film's strange sense of humor kind of helped make it a little more interesting.

Otherwise, I feel like this'll only really do it for people who really love Dario Argento movies. I've never been the biggest fan (I definitely like a bunch), but I don't think this is up there among his better ones. As such, maybe Four Flies on Grey Velvet's recommendable to those who feel starved for classic giallo, but even then, a recommendation of that sort still couldn't be too enthusiastic.

As a fan of Argento's early films, I have been waiting for this to be released on DVD for years. "4 Flies" is the the only film from his golden era that I had not seen. Although there have been other ways to see this film, I have been stubbornly waiting for a DVD release. It was worth the wait and I was very entertained.

Some of the scientific/medical content of the crime investigation is silly. Besides that, I have very few complaints. It kept me guessing about the identity of the killer.

On a side note, I read a review that complained the movies is homophobic. That's not true. I think the gay character is presented as admirably honest and ultimately heroic. Considering this film was made in 1970, it was daring in that respect.

I have been continually disappointed by most of Argento's films after"Phenomen"so it was nice to travel back in time to when he was able to make a film like this

While his career has descended into a parade of disappointing, "Why even bother?" features, it is hard to deny the impact of Dario Argento's early films. While I tend to prefer Lucio Fulci in the grand scheme of Italian horror cinema, even he couldn't wield a camera as adeptly and viciously as his contemporary at his best. And "Four Flies On Grey Velvet" (one piece in the director's 'Animal Trilogy' jigsaw) is a slick giallo that is, first and foremost, a showcase of technique (a murder in an abandoned theatre; a chase through an empty park; a boy-masked killer), wherein Argento shows his mastery of composition, light and shadow, and perspective. But unlike his later, more convoluted plots (and make no mistake–this is yet another parade of false leads, blind alleys, and Red Herrings), "Flies" infuses its improbabilities with shrewd commentary on sexual identity, Beatlemania, and even the shallowness of celebrity culture. The plot concerns McCartneyesque Michael Brandon as the drummer of a rock-and-roll combo who accidentally murders a total stranger, photographed in the act by a masked assailant; he is teased by the creepy-faced foe and driven to the point of obsession until the "unmasking" climax. The script is credited to three writers, but manages to stay coherent in its tireless effort to lead the viewer astray. Long unreleased due to legal issues, the recent DVD issuance of "Flies" gives us a chance to be manipulated in style by a master.