Cold Eyes of Fear is a swinging London quasi-giallo from director Enzo G. Castellari. For those not well versed in Italian genre cinema, Castellari directed The Inglorious Bastards which inspired Tarantino’s film with that crazy spelling of the B word. He primarily worked in the Spaghetti Western and Poliziottesco genres but would dip his toes in comedy, horror and even sci-fi in the ’80s with 1990: The Bronx Warriors and it’s sequel Escape from the Bronx quickie rip-offs of Escape From New York with a bit of The Road Warrior thrown in for good measure.
It’s essentially an Italian rip-off of Wait Until Dark, with a bit of Desperate Hours thrown in. Reportedly, Castellari was influenced by The Boys in the Band with his choice to use a one-room location.Lead character Peter (Gianni Garko) is a young playboy making the London scene when he picks up an attractive but dubious Italian lady (Giovanna Ralli) in a swinging nightclub. But someone is waiting for them when they get back to his uncle’s flat…His uncle is a judge, and the gunmen are there to take revenge.
It’s not a great movie, and although it’s technically a thriller it’s a bit dull. The one thing it does have in its favour is a fantastic jazzy but psychedelic Ennio Morricone score. There is some bizarre cinematography, including a great shot through an ice cubes. Good location photography helps, with the exteriors shot in London although the interiors were all filmed in Italy. It’s well made for what it is, but it’s the score you will remember more than the plot.
The film is available on both 4K or Blu-Ray from Indicator (these are separate releases) I was sent the Blu-Ray so can’t comment on how much of an improvement the 4K is. The film had been released on Blu-Ray but it was essentially a barebones disc, so this is a serious upgrade. First up is a new commentary track with critics and authors David Flint and Adrian J. Smith and a string of newly filmed interviews with Castellari, Garko, and assistant editor Gianfranco Amicucci. DJ and soundtrack enthusiast Lovely Jon does an appreciation of the aforementioned highlight of the film, Morricone’s score. An image gallery and the trailer (under the film’s alternative title Desperate Moments) finish off the on disc’s extras. The 80-page book contains a new essay by Roberto Curti, a new interview with Ralli, an archival interview with Garko, archival news reports on the death of actor Frank Wolff, a career-spanning archival interview with director Enzo G Castellari conducted by Mark Wickum, and an overview of contemporary critical responses.
★★★
Ian Schultz
psychotroniccinema.com 