Review of Danger: Diabolik (1968) by Mark B — 12 Nov 2010

It's no Citizen Kane, but this is one of my favorite films of all time. Mario Bava uses his trippy trademark colorful lighting and employs frames within frames to great effect and makes the greatest comic book movie of the 1960s, conjuring movie magic out of a B movie budget. Today's comic book films are more brooding, but Bava easily made the most fun film in the genre. Ennio Morricone's score is a blast and those twangy guitar attacks and catchy opening theme song ("Deep Deep Down") will forever be ingrained on my psyche.

John Phillip Law was born to play this role. Anti-hero Diabolik runs around in what looks like a skin-tight leather ninja suit and drives a pair of Jaguar E-types, pulling big heists and laughing maniacally, then shacks up with his lover Eva Kant (Marisa Mell) on a bed strewn with money in a hideout that a Bond villain would die for, while battling both the authorities and the gangsters. Actually, this is a bit like watching a Bond film from the villain's point of view. Ridiculous excess has never been so attractive. I've seen others describe the film as a 'visual orgy' and I have to agree.

Rent this if you can find it, last I heard the R1 dvd was still OOP.

Skip Barbarella, THIS is how you do a cult classic Italian comic book movie. I'm forever indebted to Glenn 'DVD Savant' Erickson for the article which introduced me to this film and the works of director Mario Bava.

For more trippy color lighting and action-adventure excess from Bava, I'd also recommend HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD, though it's not near as fun as DIABOLIK. Bava also made some influential low budget horror films, including BLACK SUNDAY (La Maschera del Demonio), giallo BLOOD AND BLACK LACE, and BLACK SABBATH. Bava was also an inspiration and mentor to horror director Dario Argento.