Evil Senses

I have to say I'm surprised. After all I'd heard, I was expecting Evil Senses to be a truly diabolical Giallo effort, but as it happens; the film is not too bad. Evil Senses was included in the excellent Giallo reference book 'Blood and Black Lace', but personally I wouldn't call this a Giallo at all. It's more a thriller along the same lines as Body Heat; we get some steamy sex scenes and a love story that make up the base of the plot, and a story which revolves around a hit-man getting away from the mob, though the latter seems more like padding - it's not a story that makes me think 'Giallo' anyway. The plot focuses on a contract killer named Manuel who happens to be in possession of some documents that incriminate some people high up within a secret organisation. Naturally, this organisation doesn't want this sort of thing becoming public knowledge so they seek to kill him. He takes refuge at a brothel ran by Nicole; an ex-lover, but it isn't until he happens across an intriguing prostitute named Victoria that he takes an interest in life...

The film is directed by Gabriele Lavia, who previously worked with ace directors Dario Argento and Pupa Avati, though doesn't seem to have taken much influence from either. The film opens promisingly with a sequence that sees Manuel (played by Lavia) shoot a fellow hit-man impersonating a cab driver. Then we move straight on to a credit sequence that also features some terrible eighties pop trash...so it's clear that Lavia didn't take much from Argento on that front. The plot runs rather slowly - which is why the film has generated a lot of negative comments from various people. It can't be said that this is entertaining all the way through; plus the dialogue is trite and the way it's delivered is often ridiculous, but the film never really becomes boring and its shortcomings didn't make me hate it. Thee are three twists in the film; the first comes near the middle and is something of a surprise, the twist towards the end can be seen coming a mile off - but at least the film manages a decent, and downbeat final turn in the story. Overall, I won't recommend that everyone rushes out and tries to find a copy of this...but it's better than I thought it would be.

I bought this video knowing nothing about it, only that the cover compared it to 9 1/2 weeks (why I'm not sure!). The version I watched was dubbed in English, usually something which I can't stand, but in this case it was fairly well done and did not distract from the picture. I found the film itself quite enjoyable, well directed and very nicely photographed. There's sex and violence but much less than you would find in a similar American production (Basic Instinct, for example). The film really just boils down to a cat-and-mouse game (no pun intended) between the two main characters (which intensifies as the film progresses). If you demand action all the way through a film you probably won't enjoy this, but if you have an empathy with "world movies", you may find it to your liking.

Director/co-Writer Gabriele Lavia plays a hitman who has fallen out of favour with his bosses. They want him dead, and the only think keeping him alive is a list of names which they think lavia has in his possession, actually, he flushed it down the toilet. Bidding his time, Lavia hides out at a bordello, where he starts an affair with a mysterious women (Monica Guerritore).

Typical, cross and double-cross thriller, but is still fairly enjoyable. Not much in the way of gory violence on offer (when there is its effective) and don't expect an erotic, titillater, as its far too tame for that.

All in all, a solid enough movie, with a strong ending that wont disappoint. Certainly makes me want to check out Lavia's, "Scandalous Gilda" which I've read good things about.