Les yeux froids de la peur

"Cold Eyes of Fear" is a good, solid thriller from that genre we now know of as the "home invasion" movie. A young solicitor (Gianni Garko) brings a new acquaintance (Giovanna Ralli) to his uncles' home for a tryst. They arrive only to be accosted by criminals who are slow to make their true intentions known.

"Cold Eyes of Fear" was an early effort for the young Enzo G. Castellari, who, over the decades, has given us many entertaining films in a variety of genres. Here, he utilizes a theme of illusion / deception (especially in the clever opening sequence). He also favors lots of zooms and close-ups. While the story doesn't really hold up to much scrutiny, the filmmaker holds your attention and generates some terrific suspense for the final act. He also delivers a good twist a third of the way through. His use of the striking Ennio Morricone soundtrack is sparing - indeed, even some of the action & suspense scenes play out without music.

The cast is fine; also appearing are Frank Wolff (a definite standout), Fernando Rey (as the solicitors' uncle, a respected judge), Julian Mateos, and Karin Schubert. The sexy Ralli is enjoyably feisty as a young woman who won't let the bad guys intimidate her.

Castellari may have outdone this film for sheer entertainment value with some of his subsequent efforts, but this is still a decent thriller worth a look for fans of his work.

Seven out of 10.