(1971)
aka: MURDER BY DESIGN, SLAM OUT, LA VITTIMA DESIGNATA.
REVIEWED BY-STEVE GENIER DIRECTED BY-MAURIZIO LUCIDI CAST-TOMAS MILIAN, PIERRE CLEMENTI, KATIA CHRISTINE, LUIGI CASELLATO, MARISA BARTOLI, OTTAVIO ALESSI and ALESSANDRA CARDINI. SOURCE-DVDR
Stefano (Tomas Milian) plans to sell his shares of a company but must get his wife’s ok first, for the shares are in her name. Of course she refuses making things much more difficult as he has already set the ball in motion to sell them. Then in a series of mysterious pass by meetings, he develops a strange friendship with the very wealthy Count Mateo (Pierre Clemente). As they become somewhat closer, Mateo purposes to Stefano the perfect crime. He will kill Stefano’s wife and in return Stefano must kill Mateo’s abusive brother. Of course Stefano takes this as a joke, but slowly becomes convinced that Mateo is in fact very serious. Stefano subconsciously has already contemplating murdering his wife, but doesn’t have the nerve to do so.
Still he puts his plan of selling his shares in motion even if it means cutting a few illegal corners. Then without warning, Stefano’s wife is killed and he becomes a sitting duck for the police. With mounting pressures to complete his side of the pack with Mateo, Stefano does everything humanly possible to keep his name in the clear. He continuously refuses to complete his side of a bargain, one in which he didn’t want anything to do with. So naturally Mateo sets his master plan into action, starting by blackmailing Stefano in doing so. As the police become more and more convinced that he had in fact killed his wife. They close in on him, he has no other choice but to carry out his side of the bargain to clear his name.
The first thought while first going into this was could I except Tomas Milian in a role such as this, I did when I really enjoyed his protrayal of Andrea Martelli in Lucio Fulci’s classic giallo DON"T TORTURE A DUCKLING. The fear of course when one gets use to really enjoy an actor like Milian in many films that have him as the lead who doesn’t take authority sitting down and pulling all the punches his own way. It becomes tough to except him in other roles where he easily is the victim. That fear of course is quickly erased within minutes while watching this Maurizio Lucidi thriller. Milian assures any doubters that he is in fact quite capable of taking on any role thrown at him, of course with the right elements in place. Those elements are supplied to Milian in this Hitchcock inspired thriller with the right cast and of course the strength coming from the story’s plot and direction.
Starting off with the addition of Pierre Clemente as the antagonist Count Mateo. He is in fact so annoying, that you can feel him crawling underneath not only Milian’s character’s skin, but your own as well. You really learn to hate Clemente’s character all around, his slimy tactics that disembowels every thread of Stefano’s being. Simply a showing of just how talented and well ranged Clemente as an actor can be. Also, the addition of Katia Christine as Stefano’s mistress, her complete innocence being ripped apart by Stefano’s charades. Most of all her beauty as well, the absolute pinnacle to this storyline, for she is the ultimate prize for Stefano in the end. One can’t forget the rest of the support cast which is loaded with some great talent and add the right touch in each of their respective roles.
Maurizio Lucidi must be commended for such an excellent film in many ways, but all this couldn’t be completed without the help of his co-writers most notably Aldo Lado, who is often overlooked in this case. Most of the praise goes to both Lucidi and or Fulvio Gicca Palli, but you can’t help but both feel and notice the overwhelming presence of Aldo Lado’s hand at work as well. This is most strongly present in the overall pace of the film and it’s plot. Similar to Lado’s MALASTRANA (1971) aka SHORT NIGHT OF THE GLASS DOLLS, where the pace is quite stagnate, but not ever losing your interest. In fact it is the opposite in fact, where every little thing feeds you something new and very important to the overall feel and plot of the film. This is again is very true and very present in Lucidi’s THE DESIGNATED VICTIM. Of course one could argue that that is just Lucidi’s style of direction, yes that could be, but I’m willing to bet that it is in fact Lado’s influence on the script.
As always a film of this nature would not be half as good if there isn’t the right score to help the flow of the film. Again we score find that ever so present in THE DESIGNATED VICTIM. Primarily provided by the ever so prolific Luis Bacalov who has had a presence as big as Ennio Morricone or Bruno Nicoladi in this genre. He provides a wonderfully diversity of sounds that seem to latch onto each scene seamlessly. Heightening them in a manner in which the viewer gets more then just a visual trip. Another delightful surprise given in the film’s score comes way of Tomas Milian who in fact sings the title theme to the film. Once again displaying that there is more to his talents then just Nico Giraldi.
THE DESIGNATED VICTIM is yet another super example of what rare gems are out there screaming for a DVD release. Beautifully shot, well framed and certainly quite entertaining.
3.5 BITCH SLAPS
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