Review of Giallo (2010) by Glenn C — 26 Apr 2012

All of the horror buffs here know what "Giallo" is but for those who don't, it is a term used to describe a particular genre of Italian mystery/horror fiction. It is also the Italian word for yellow and the word serves as a double-entendre for Dario Argento's most recent film.

Adrian Brody stars as an American homicide detective working in Italy who is in the middle of a serial killer case. When the most recent victim's sister pushes her way into the case the two work together to catch their killer.

It's nothing new but it is well made. Argento was once a master of his craft with his work in the 70s being amongst the most influential horror ever made. But then in the late 80s and early 90s his work took a drastic turn.

He became kitsch and desperate, falling victim to his own ego. But fortunately for us aficionados he has started to claw his way back and his past few films have been getting better. I think Giallo is his best since the glory days and perhaps thats owed to the fact that it's the first film he hasn't written personally.

It looks good, the flow is eloquent and the locations feel classic. Adrian Brody also does a solid job performing two characters (he's also plays the killer and is almost unrecognisable) I think the movie slightly suffers from indulgence with unnecessary gore but aside from that it's good to have the maestro back.