Aka:La Giornate nera per l’ariete
(1971/ITALY)
Reviewed By-Sean Patrick Dolan Director: Luigi Bazzoni Cast: Franco Nero, Silvia Monti, Edmund Purdom, Ira Furstenberg, Pamela Tiffin, Maurizio Bonuglia, Renato Romano, Agostina Belli Source: Salvation Films Ltd. (2000, VHS) Runtime: Approx. 89 minutes
Andrea Bild (Franco Nero) is a man with a double deadline- he must clean up his act and solve a case of serial murders, or he could wind up paying with the rest of his life. Andrea is an alcoholic newspaper reporter with an ex-wife and a rocky relationship with his current girlfriend, Lu Auer (Pamela Tiffin). What starts with an attack on music teacher John Lubbock (Maurizio Bonuglia) quickly becomes a series of murders among the local circle of high society and intelligentsia. The people involved are doctors, members of the media, and teachers at the prestigious New School. This cast of suspects -some of whom quickly become victims- includes Dr. Richard Bidi (Maurizio Bonuglia), a physician, Edouard Vermont (Edmund Purdom), a French professor, and Vermont‘s fiancée, Isabel Lancia (Ira Furstenberg). Rumor has it that John Lubbock is in love with Isabel, despite his close friendship with Vermont.
At each crime scene the killer leaves behind a leather glove with another finger cut off- suggesting that there will be five murders before he is finished. Andrea had been in contact with each of the victims shortly before their deaths. Even worse, he doesn’t have an alibi. He is soon taken off the case due to the influence of Dr. Bidi, the husband of one of the victims. Suspecting that Bidi is up to no good, Andrea tails him only to discover that he is part of a pornography ring that involves Lu’s brother, Walter and the young man’s prostitute girlfriend, Giulia (Agostina Belli)- as well as several prominent men in the community. Adding to his problems, Andrea becomes the prime suspect after the death of his newspaper editor, with whom he was witnessed having a heated argument only hours before. Andrea convinces the police chief to give him more time to catch the killer, but that time is running out for him to unravel the twisted threads of murder, blackmail, and sexual jealousy in which he has become entangled.
Luigi Bazzoni is a little know Italian director who also wrote a handful of films in the 60’s and early 70’s, most notably MAN HIS PRIDE AND HIS VENGEANCE (1968), a "Spaghetti Western" version of the opera Carmen starring Franco Nero and Klaus Kinski. With THE FIFTH CORD, Bazzoni covers all the giallo bases- the embattled hero who must clear his own name, the unseen black-gloved killer, the point of view camera shots, the murder of women, and a dash of sexual perversity. Unfortunately, none of it is done very well, which leaves the viewer with a mediocre entry into the giallo genre. The film opens with the killer speaking into a tape recorder, describing how much he will enjoy the act of murder. This motif is repeated twice more within the film. There are two problems here. First, the killer does not use these tapes to taunt the police or his intended victims; therefore, this is nothing more than a stylistic device which comes off as a very cheap gimmick. Second, listening to the killer explain his actions and describe his emotions, the viewer gets the clear impression that this is a psychotic thrill killer at work- without spoiling the ending, I will say that killer’s motive is a far cry from this.
The violence and eroticism typical of the giallo film are present here, but both elements are lukewarm at best. The murders are uninspired (strangulation, throat slashing, drowning) and far from graphic. One scene is said to be cut- by two seconds- by British censors, but I can’t imagine why. However, there are two very nasty scenes in this film. WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! The first is the murder of Bidi’s wife, Sophia (Rosella Falk), a crippled woman who is killed while crawling on the floor trying to reach her wheelchair. One review of this film I have read likens it in style to the shocking opening murder of Mario Bava’s classic TWITCH OF THE DEATH NERVE (1971), and I agree. The other scene is the attempted murder of a young boy- the intended fifth victim- which is shot very effectively and is excruciatingly well acted by the child actor, who seems genuinely terrified. These scenes are nothing short of sadistic, and honestly seem out of place in a film that completely lacks the same level of intensity.
The ending of THE FIFTH CORD is perhaps the worst, most illogical denouement I have seen thus far in a giallo. It turns out that John Lubbock is the killer. Lubbock was attacked by Giulia’s father, for a reason that still remains unclear to me after several viewings. He milked his neck injury long after he had recovered to further heighten his appearance of innocence. His motive was jealousy, but with a twist- he was in love with Edouard Vermont, not Isabel Lancia. He committed the other murders to hide his motive. He chose his victims purposely to incriminate Andrea, and he justifies killing of innocent boy as "saving him from a world of injustice and violence". If you are wondering how Andrea figured out this muddled mess, I’ll tell you. A random comment made by his ex-wife about her horoscope led him to the realization that all the murders occurred on Tuesday- a day regarded as auspicious to Aries, the sign which John Lubbock was born under. There is not a single scene in which the attraction between Lubbock and Vermont is even hinted. In fact, the characters Lubbock and Vermont are peripheral, and have very little screen time at all- wasting the considerable talents of Edmund Purdom (PIECES (1982), 2019: AFTER THE FALL OF NEW YORK (1983)). Giallo fans expect a twist ending- or two, or three- but they have to make some sort of sense, and the viewer should be able to look back at certain scenes and say, "Yes, that makes sense now". In this case, the director did not play fair at all.
Despite all this, there are two reasons you might still want to watch THE FIFTH CORD. One, you are a hardcore giallo fan who wants to see every film in the genre- "the good, the bad, and the ugly". Or, you are a hardcore Franco Nero fan. Nero displays the same qualities here that makes him many people’s favorite European tough guy, the star of the DJANGO (1966) and other Spaghetti Westerns, as well as numerous euro crime films. Of course I’m referring to his good looks, his accent, and his "not quite complete" grasp of the English language. But mostly I am speaking of his macho persona and ability as an action star. There are a handful of scenes in this film that are real gems, from his bitch slap of Lu (followed by a truly hilarious pillow fight before the two make up and hop into bed) to his rough interrogation of Walter (mostly clenched fists this time, but a few more bitch slaps) to some great stunt work in the warehouse chase/fight scenes where he apprehends Lubbock. Nero’s performance in THE FIFTH CORD will not disappoint his fans, as he shines brightly in an otherwise dull film.
Note: THE FIFTH CORD will have a Blue Underground DVD release in the near future, possibly as part of a Giallo box set.
Story: 2.5 Bitch Slaps
