Chats rouges dans un labyrinthe de verre

Umberto Lenzi doubtlessly is one of the greatest and most multi-talented Italian Cult directors, who has contributed gems to pretty much any genre and sub-genre Italian genre-cinema has brought forth, be it rough Poliziotteschi like "Milano Oida... La Polizia Non Può Sparare" ("Almost Human", 1974), "Roma A Mano Armata" ("Rome Armed To The Teeth", 1976) and "Napoli Violenta" ("Violent Naples", 1976), stylish Gialli like "Sette Orchidee Macchiate Di Rosso" ("Seven Blood-Stained Orchids", 1972) or "Spasmo" (1974), Gruesome Cannibal Films Like "Il Paese Del Sesso Selvaggio" ("Deep River Savages", 1972), "Mangiati Vivi" ("Eaten Alive By The Cannibals", 1980) or "Cannibal Ferox" (1981), and even Westerns, Spy Flicks, Sandal Films and Sword and Sorcery - there's hardly been a genre Lenzi was not part of, and he delivered fantastic films in any of them.

While "Gatti Rossi in Un Labirinto Di Vetro" aka. "Eyeball" (1975) isn't Lenzi's best Giallo ("Seven Blood-Stained Orchids" is, without a doubt), it is still a highly entertaining film to watch. On a tour to Spain, a bunch of American tourists, among them several hot women, are targeted by a knife-wielding, red-caped Maniac, who kills his victims by stabbing them in the eye... This murder method alone is capable of making a film worthwhile, and since this one is by Umberto Lenzi, there is, of course, more. This one's plot line may be less complicated and ingenious than the typical 70s Giallo, but Lenzi nonetheless delivers tons of entertainment. The film is sleazy and violent, the murders are gory and the female cast-members all seem to have exhibitionist tendencies. The mystery and suspense level are not particularly high, but Lenzi's skillful directing still does ensure tension. Score and Cinematography are genre-typically cool, but not particularly memorable. Overall, "Eyeball" is doubtlessly one of Lenzi's lesser films, but still a noteworthy and very entertaining little flick that is recommendable to all my fellow fans of this great Italian master.

Eyeball (AKA Red Cats in a Glass Maze)

Italian/Spanish co-produced giallo/slasher, written and directed by Umberto Lenzi, and starring John Richardson, Martine Brochard, and Andrés Mejuto. A group of American tourists are on a bus/coach tour of Barcelona. However, before long female members of the coach party are being picked off by a mysterious figure dressed all in red when the party stops for sightseeing attractions or overnight stayovers. But the women aren't just being killed; the left eyeball of each victim is gouged out - sometimes prior to death. The lead detective retires in one week, and is keen to solve the killings before he leaves, whilst the rest of the party just try to survive.

The plot of this is actually bonkers, the number of red herrings is ridiculous, and the murderer's motive is one of the most utterly stupid ever - none of which stops it from being a load of fun! The cast are good (plenty of faces from other Italian genre films), there's a lot of blood plus severed eyeballs, all the nudity you'd expect from a 1975 Italian exploitation film, and a good helping of so-bad-it's-good dialogue. Having said all that, unlike with a lot of these films, the plot - whilst insane - is at least followable (often with these you end up abandoning any hope of coherence, and just watch for the crazy spectacle). Real OTT fun. Oh, Bruno Nicolai's funky score - bizarrely at odds with some of the carnage - deserves special mention! 7/10.

I had low expectations going into this one-which often helps. However, I thought that this movie was kind of fun; the 30 or so flagrantly dropped red herrings, the lesbian couple thrown in "just for kicks", the ridiculous premise, very over the top. I have a low "boredom" threshold and I didn' find this tedious, and you're definitely guessing up until the very end "who the mysterious killer is". Yes, this isn't in the same class as say a few of the Bava or Argento giallo's, but if you're a die hard giallo fan, then this is a must see (at least once!). There's some nice editing and a few surprises and nice shots here and there. I loved the whole "red raincoat" thing, yes, hackeyed and done as nauseum in the past, but it was nice regardless. Some good touches, I'm giving this a sold 5 star!

"Eyeball" or "Gatti rossi in un labirinto di vetro" is mediocre giallo which has serviceable story and characters. It isn't badly made and it even has some decent acting and music. Sadly, it's predictable, nudity present isn't anything special and characters aren't that much interesting and therefore movie isn't anything more than a forgettable afternoon watch for a genre fan. 6/10! Only for the genre fans!

Fans of Giallo might already know this. "Normal" horror fans might have not had it on their radar. It's always good if companies like 88 Films, Arrow Video and so many others put obscure movies like this out. There is always a gem or at least a decent movie to find there.

So this isn't the best movie ever by far. But it is quite an enjoyable Giallo. And I say that not really being a fan of the ... "genre". Effects are decent for the time and the budget they had at the time I reckon. The mystery is ok too ... some will guess the killer earlier than others ... nothing wrong there. There's also a decent amount of nudity, which was normal for the time, whatever that means to you ... is up to you.