User Reviews

After witnessing a violent murder, a photographer tries to convince her boyfriend of the incident but gets nowhere until the killer starts killing off a series of regular interlopers in the case and forces the two to try to figure out the killer's identity before he targets them.

This was a decent enough if flawed genre effort. What really tends to push this one along is the actual murder mystery that plays out which is a rather intriguing and engaging storyline. Initially appearing to be centered around the incidental tourist, the gradual reveal of the killers' vendetta against the ballerina company through the use of the mannequins being supplied by the boyfriend that ties everything together and brings them their involvement into the rampage. The build-up to this isn't that bad, from the discovery of the bodies and the revelation of the handicap that spurs the interest in the two and provides this with some decent red herrings. That also leads this one into some enjoyable stalking moments that have a lot to like, from the opening sequence involving the murderer striking which is seen through a telescope lens that runs out of time before the face can be seen, the stalking of a witness through a darkened hallway where the killer again strikes out of nowhere and the tense chase on city streets to get away from a location containing clues to their identity as they race to find a phone from which to call and report on their findings. The finale in the house where the killer appears is exceptionally fun as well with the blackout and misidentification of the killer and the resultant chase through the grounds out to the backyard which has a shockingly tense confrontation in the greenhouse to finally resolve matters. Alongside the nicely frequent nudity present here from the capable performers, these here are enough to hold it up over the problems present. The main issue at hand here is the fact that this one never really manages to offer any kind of enjoyable twist on the formulaic story presented. Once again this presents a film in which someone commits a murder seen only by the main character who has nobody else believe their story which is a rather flimsy pretext to start it off but it just dives into numerous cliches after that point. Rather than just dismiss the outrageous story as the ramblings of a deranged woman, erring on the side of caution with someone reporting such an incident would've generated a far more interesting story here due to plainly going around the familiar plotline that comes along. The other big problem is that this leaves the film rather bland during the investigation here without too many bodies to knock off which is what leaves the film to feel dragged-out in points that don't really need it. These here are what really hold this one down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Nudity, Language and several sex scenes.

Photographer Kitty (a solid and appealing performance by comely redhead Nieves Navarro) witnesses a vicious murder in a window through a tourist telescope. After two fellow witnesses meet similarly gruesome and untimely ends, Kitty fears that she's going to be the killer's next victim.

Although director/co-writer Maurizio Pradeaux fails to generate much in the way of suspense or creepy atmosphere, he nonetheless still compensates for this glaring deficiency by keeping the engrossing story moving along at a steady pace, pulling out the savage stops for several brutal murder set pieces, and delivering a satisfying smattering of tasty gratuitous female nudity. Moreover, the sound acting by the capable cast helps a whole lot, with especially praiseworthy work by Robert Hoffman as Kitty's helpful boyfriend Alberto Morosini, George Martin as the inept Inspector Merughi, Anuska Borova as pesky reporter Lidia, and Simon Andreu as the impotent Marco. Roberto Pregadio's elegant score and Jaime Deu Casas's competent cinematography are both up to par. Worth a watch for fans of the genre.

While waiting for her husband to pick her up in a park, Kitty (Susan Scott) accidentally looks through a telescope just in time to see a woman brutally murdered. She doesn't see the murderer's face, but she is able to tell the police that the assailant was carrying a cane. In short order, another possible witness, a man who owns a chestnut cart, is murdered. The police initially suspect Kitty's husband, Alberto, who has mysteriously sprained an ankle. Even though the suspicions against the husband fall away, Kitty and Alberto are nonetheless drawn into the investigation.

Death Carries a Cane is a terrific example of what I'd call a "lesser" Giallo. The whole thing seems so unoriginal and uninspired that at times it can be a chore to watch. I had to wake myself at least three times the night I sat down to watch. Like many Gialli, the plot is convoluted, but in this case it's a mess – even after the final reveal. Usually, I have fun trying to follow the many ins and outs of the plot. Not here. It just bored me to tears. Like many Gialli, Death Carries a Cane features a variety of red herrings. But most are so obvious and ridiculous that they're hard to take seriously. For example, I've never seen so many characters carrying canes or walking with limps for no other purpose than to throw suspicion their way. Death Carries a Can even includes twins. Yes, twins! What a terribly tired old plot device. It's just lazy writing. Another perfect example of the problems with the plot comes near the end. In this kind of movie, it's always easier to kill a character if they're separated from the other characters. Two times it the film's last 15 minutes, Kitty's character splits from the rest to go to the bathroom. Yes, Kitty's weak bladder becomes a plot device. How stupid is that! And there are other problems besides the plot. Gialli are known for their visual flair and interesting look. Not here. Like the plot, the cinematography can also best be described as generally uninspired. It's dull looking. Finally, if it weren't for Edwige Fenech, Susan Scott could probably be considered the Queen of the Giallo. She's so underutilized in Death Carries a Cane that it ought to have been a crime. She disappears for a large chunk of the movie. And no offense meant to the other cast members, but none are anywhere near as interesting as she is. To be fair, Death Carries a Cane does feature a few interesting murder scenes, but these are too few and far between to really save the movie. Any other positives are hard to come by. This is one Giallo I wished I'd skipped.

This is a remarkably silly giallo that begins with Susan Scott messing with a coin operated telescope in Rome and randomly witnessing a woman being stabbed to death in a house. At first she tries to get help from a policeman passing by with his family, but he refuses, pointing out he's actually a fireman, and that he can't help anyway as his wife will get him into trouble. This daftness will continue!

Susan remembers that the murderer had a limp and was dressed in black, and it looked like several people witnesses him leave. Susan's boyfriend also has a limp, plus he's an artist who uses fabric dummies to stab to death as some sort of crappy art project. These dummies are made by Susan, and according to him "It's the only thing she does well...apart from making love." This he tells to policeman George Martin, who doesn't believe she witnessed anything...until they actually find the corpse, to which Susan exclaims happily "Hey! They found my corpse!"

Susan is also friends with journalist Kitty, who is going out with a composer who can't get it up. Indeed, it's the first thing Kitty tells Susan when she calls! Now it took me a while to figure it out but Kitty also has a sister played by the same actress who is going out with Luciano Rossi, and the sister also has a limp and needs a cane to get around. Seeing Luciano, who always plays weirdos or perverts, actually having a normal relationship was the biggest shock of the film. You'd think he'd be shagging a crocodile while dressed as Ghandi. With a chair stuck up his arse.

Of course the killer has a few witness to stab and the cops start finding cane marks everywhere, which makes them suspect Susan's boyfriend. This leads the remaining characters on a journey to the truth, broken only by Susan having to stop the action to go for a pee - twice! For no reason! Plus, they have Luciano Rossi stare into a shop window full of razors, just to confirm that he's definitely the film's red herring, and Sal Borghese as the designer of a bag held by a witness who wants to link his fashion house to the murders for publicity.

Not only is the film daft as hell, but director Pradeuax packs it with wall to wall nudity as well, including a lesbian flashback bit that someone else flashes back to later in the film. There was so much nudity that my mind started drifting to be honest, but still, I love films that are as mad as this.

If death carries a cane, isn't it weak? With that thinking, aren't the alternate titles - Dance Steps on the Edge of a Razor, Maniac At Large, The Night of the Rolling Heads and Devil Blade - so much cooler?

Well, that's because whoever the killer is, he or she has a limp. That's what Kitty (Nieves Navarro, billed here under her boring Americanized nom de plume Susan Scott) sees when she watches a murder through a coin-operated telescope. That's just the first of many killings and it just might be her boyfriend Alberto, who has the misfortune of having a limp and a cane when that's what's being profiled. I've said it before and I've said it again, defund the giallo police.

Navarro also made two other similarly titled movies, Death Walks at Midnight and Death Walks On High Heels, so if you're confused, well...this one isn't as good as those ones.

Director Maurizio Pradeaux also made another Grim Reaper referencing giallo, Death Steps in the Dark, which isn't all that notable other than the scene where the protagonist has to wear drag to escape the police. Also, it has no Nieves Navarro, so you can skip it.