Lunettes noires

I have seen Occhiali neri last night at FEST - International Film Festival, Belgrade . It's a very strange Iittle thriller, very bizarre and very low budget. The plot is extremely silly, with water snakes and other over-the-top decisions, but that's Argento for you. We don't expect logic in his films. Do we? There is warmth in it as well, it's very character driven. It feels rushed in places and acting is so-so, but overall you should definitely see if you're Argento fan. It's his best since Nonhosonno, fast paced and never boring. And yes... it's very gory. The third act reminded me of the begining of Rob Zombie's Halloween 2, because it's basically a long chase scene in the countryside. The OST is great.

The past 15 years have been really hard on Dario Argento fans. Dracula 3-D & Giallo were the lowest of the low and Dark Glasses is a faint improvement. The biggest issue with recent Argento films seem to be the low budgets. It's not as if his early work was mega budgets but the past few movies he seems to be working from the biscuit tin. The style and flair that went with his earlier work is just not there any more. This movie has a nice soundtrack and is Argento all over however that appears to be the only thing remaining.

Ilenia Pastorelli is the lead role and it's not unfair to say she isn't the best actress in the world. Asia Argento is in this and is given nothing to do and makes you wonder if she would have been the lead if this movie was made in 2002 when Dario Argento wanted to film it.

The movie climaxes with a typical ridiculous killer reveal and goes full on Cujo remake. Anyone watching this would perceive this as someone doing a bad Argento movie and not the great man himself. People would be best off watching Deep Red again.

I've already seen this movie twice in a 3 days time.

The first time i mostly noticed what was NOT there:

• many choreographed murders
• the surprise/shock of finding out who the killer is
• the close ups of gloved hands and weapons to kill the victims

And in a Dario Argento's movie, for anyone familiar with his style, that is A LOT missing.

But the second view made me appreciate more the film in its own right to "exist".

I recognized in it the same sort of empathy towards the main character that i felt in Phenomena, Opera, Trauma.

Technically thumbs up for the score and cinematography.

Good performance from Asia Argento.

Occhiali neri begins with a promising entrée however goes blind with the progress. With It's extended chase and the stank killer apparently taking a breather during two thirds of it really was a drag.

However on the plus side Occhiali neri creates a sense of uniqueness with it's dialogues and character set up. It's blunt on the edges but when it cuts there's puddles of blood.

Occhiali neri is eerily fun but with a little bit of extra work it could have been a even superior creation. For the aforesaid newness in characters , the dialogues full of emotion and their sharp delivery deserves admiration.

It's safe to say this is far from argento's best work but certainly not his worst. One or two good kills and some decent cinematography. Plus the soundtrack is a good listen. Overall no classic but worth tracking down.