User reviews

If you are expecting a 'giallo' to unfold, and with the title, box art and opening of the film, you have every right to do so, you will be a little disappointed.

For instead this is a right hotchpotch of styles and levels of seriousness. Once aware that this is going to go all over the place and include social comment and slapstick comedy whilst retaining a sleazy back story of under age prostitution one can relax and enjoy, at face value, a most likable film.

Made after most of his 'giallo' greats this is always watchable with fine moments. It's just that it's not what you would expect.

This quite rare movie by Sergio Martino is an odd thing. As the title presumes, it starts off like a typical giallo: A man with sunglasses stalks and slashes a young woman. But after the murder, the movie becomes a film in style of the "poliziescho", the Italian crime movie of the 1970s, as the audience follows an undercover cop searching for the killer and also for the kidnappers of a young boy (but the audience doesn't know for a long time either that the cop really is one and that the murder case and the kidnapping rely to each other). All this culminates (within the first half of the movie) in a car chase which offers enough gags to make the scene pure slapstick.

After that, the giallo style returns as the sunglassed killer goes on a killing spree. The crime movie is back as the plot unfolds to have its motive in mob-style drug dealing. And let's not forget: The killings have also to do with professional child prostitution and abuse. A really wild mix, even more so if one considers that the film sometimes boosts cheap (if mostly funny) humor.

The cool sound track is reminiscent of the early scores by "Goblin" for Dario Argento's films, and it seems that Ernesto Gastaldi, who wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay with director Martino, was influenced by Massimo Dallamano's great "La Polizia Chiede Aiuto" that was made one year earlier.

All in all, this surely is not Martino's best film (his "pure" gialli are more enjoyable), but if one gets used to the unusual concoction of such different topics and styles, it's an entertaining and sometimes hilariously funny, fast paced and thrilling movie that even boosts some harsh social comment.

An authentic Italian 70's Crime/Giallo movie with loads of comedy elements and even slapstick? What's next …a Disney's Pixar movie featuring graphic sex and gory massacres? Say what you want about director Sergio Martino, but you certainly can't claim he hasn't experimented with all the different genres imaginable. He directed several brilliant and prototype Gialli ("Torso", "Case of the Scorpion's Tail"), but also Spaghetti Westerns ("A Man Called Blade"), relentless cop thrillers ("The Violent Professionals"), sleazy comedies ("Sex with a Smile"), Apocalyptic Sci-Fi ("After the Fall of New York"), Cyborg action-flicks ("Fists of Steel"), cheesy monster movies ("Big Alligator River") and cannibal adventures ("Mountain of the Cannibal God"). Yet, of his entire versatile repertoire, "Suspected Death of a Minor" is perhaps his most awkward accomplishment. Judging from the title, the basic plot synopsis and the picture images on the back of the DVD box, the film looks like a standard Giallo, but the story further unfolds itself more as a bitter crime thriller interlarded with large bits of comedy. And the absolute strangest thing is that this unusual hodgepodge of styles and genre also actually works, or at least up to a certain degree. It's hard to picture yourself a Giallo plot, covering crude topics such as teen prostitution networks and vile murders, and simultaneously witness comical car chases and clichéd running gags. It's rather difficult to write a brief summary of the plot without giving away surprise details or essential twists. Most reviews – even the one on the DVD box – already reveal a nice detail regarding the main character's identity even though the script keeps it a secret up until 45 minutes into the film! I think it's best to know nothing about the story and simply watch it unfold. I'll simple reveal that all the required ingredients of a supreme Giallo dish are present, including a vicious reflecting sunglasses-wearing killer, rooftop & roller coaster showdowns and perverted men with money & power. Claudio Cassinelli depicts one of the most likable characters I've ever seen in an Italian film. He's eloquent and witty, but ultimately arrogant and provocative towards everyone who crosses his path. There are a couple of brutal murders on display but the amount of female nudity is sorely disappointing, presumably because Martino didn't engage his heavenly luscious muse Edwige Fenech this time. Luciano Michellini's musical score is reminiscent to Goblin's work for Dario Argento and the photography is very nice. "Suspected Death of a Minor" is a good film and recommended to fans of the director and the genre. However, make sure it's not your first acquaintance with the Giallo, otherwise you might get a misconception of what this wondrous sub genre is all about.

I had never heard of this before its Sazuma "Special Edition" DVD came along (though I actually acquired it recently from ulterior sources); consequently, I took the film to be a very minor Martino effort – so that I went into it without much expectations. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable it all turned out to be – more so, in fact, than some of the director's more popular titles…though I can see how anyone hoping for a typical giallo will be confused and disappointed by its overriding poliziottesco elements, and even more so the sometimes daft comedy touches (on which I'll elaborate later on). Thematically, SUSPECTED DEATH OF A MINOR is an unofficial companion to the Massimo Dallamano trilogy of gialli revolving around teenage prostitution rackets – WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE? (1972), WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOUR DAUGHTERS? (1974) and RINGS OF FEAR (1978; completed by Alberto Negrin after the film-maker's tragic demise in a road accident); in that regard, it's hardly original, but Martino (whose last genre outing this proved to be) lends it his customary flair – aided a great deal by a splendid Goblinesque score courtesy of the obscure Luciano Michelini. Casting is another asset, led by Claudio Cassinelli – who would himself suffer an untimely death 10 years later in a helicopter crash while filming another Martino film! – as the unconventional hero (forever breaking his spectacles, he starts off as mystery-man and rogue but is eventually revealed to be a special undercover cop), Mel Ferrer as his long-suffering superior, and Massimo Girotti as the obligatory would-be respectable but all-powerful businessman pulling the strings. While there are obviously a number of female figures here (though, uncharacteristically, little nudity), none really emerges to take center-stage – including late starlet Jenny Tamburi who, despite a severely underwritten role, is still given an unwarranted cruel fate! The film comes to life principally in a handful of well-staged set-pieces, which take the form of chases rather than murders – an assassination attempt aboard a roller-coaster ride, a cliff-hanging sequence involving the opening roof of a cinema (which, according to an online review, is showing Martino's own YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY [1972]!), and the climactic across-the-water showdown between Cassinelli and Girotti. However, the most memorable (because it is so unexpected) certainly emerges the comical one in which the hero and his petty-thief pal take the Police on a wild ride – driving a rickety machine whose doors are constantly getting dislodged, Cassinelli asks his companion to throw them at their pursuers…but there's also a bit where a man riding a bike is left with a mere tricycle following a brush with the speeding vehicles and another which, hilariously, has a hit-and-run victim literally land and roll (repeatedly) on his head!

This one is slightly odd tonally - there is a bit of poliziotteschi, some giallo and some broad and slapstick humour. If I had to pick a genre to pigeon-hole it in it would be a poliziotteschi. It owes more to that genre than giallo for me. Giallo purists will likely be disappointed. Some giallos have a little humour so that isn't necessarily a problem. This has more humour than I've seen in a giallo before but I think the giallo label goes by the wayside for me for a few reasons. The main one - it can't really be a giallo if you see the face of the killer during the first scenes of the film. After seeing the killer it is not a whodunnit, more of a who-hired-them-to-do-it and why? It also leaves you dangling as far as exactly what the main character's role or job is until about 40 minutes in. A few other fairly crucial giallo conventions or tropes are flouted here but I won't say which as they would be potential spoilers. There are some heavy nods to (or maybe little borrowings from) Profondo Rosso, which precedes this by only a few months - evidence of how quickly these films were made. The first track on the soundtrack is certainly Goblin-esque and the trashy, falling-apart car I assume was "inspired" by Argento's film. The tone wobbles around and this may make or break the film for you. It feels deliberate and mischievous rather than clumsy. Once you get that it will break with convention, and play with tone and genre I think it is a lot of fun. The price you pay is less tension, although some is achieved especially in the latter half. It is reasonably paced and a few bits of the humour work. The main two characters interact quite nicely together. There is no glaring deadwood in terms of the actors. The last hour of the film is more conventional and rattles along well. Glasses (spectacles) are a running theme - the main character spends the whole film repeatedly breaking his prescription glasses and the killer wears mirrored sunglasses (which enable a few nice little camera shots). I can't resist mentioning two other things. (I guess this technically counts as a spoiler but it is not related to any plot or anything crucial). Firstly, during a car chase they hit the front of a bicycle and when the bicycle loses its front wheel it magically turns into a unicycle leading to a wobbly ride and fall. Secondly, again in a car chase, there is an unfortunate pedestrian who is narrowly missed (twice) and manages to contort himself into an almost-breakdance-move headspin both times before dizzyingly walking into a lamppost to knock himself out. (Was this breakdancing move around in 1975? - I don't know). The subject matter should be dark. Abuse/prostitution of underage girls (a la What Have You Done To Solange and What Have They Done To Your Daughters), a network of corruption, cover-ups, murder etc.....). This film feels less dark, depressing and gritty and has less exploitation-type sequences. In fact, for this type of film it is quite light on nudity. If that disappoints you it does have a topless Barbara Magnolfi in what seems to be her first credited role - if you are a fan of 70s Italian genre films you will possibly know her from Suspiria (as Olga) and Sister of Ursula (in the lead role). With the subject matter it seems wrong to say but this film is quite fun. Have a look. I definitely like it. Just don't come in to it with a fixed idea of what genre it is and what that genre should constrain it to.

As many of my fellow Italian Horror fans probably do, I consider Sergio Martino one of my favorite directors. The man has delivered great films in a variety of genres, but he is doubtlessly (and rightly) most famous for his Gialli. Before seeing this film, I had already seen his five other contributions to the Giallo-genre, "The Strange Vice Of Mrs Wardh" (1971), "The Scorpion's Tail" (1971), "Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key" (1972), "All Colors Of The Dark" (1972), and "Torso" (1973), all of which are nothing short of brilliance. I've seen all these films multiple times, and while they all had the typical great Martino-style, each one of these films has something very particular. Especially the ingenious Poe-inspired "Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key" is a personal favorite of mine that easily ranks among the greatest Gialli ever brought to screen. This "La Morte Sospetta Di Una Minorenne" (aka. "Suspected Death Of A Minor") of 1975 is doubtlessly also a very memorable film, and while I did not quite like it as much as Martino's other five Gialli, one cannot deny that it has its very particular qualities. This is doubtlessly Martino's oddest Giallo, as it is not a typical specimen of the genre, but a weird and highly unconventional mixture of Giallo, Crime flick, and, in many parts, Comedy that even includes Slapstick-elements.

I do not want to give away too much of the plot, since it is, in many ways, unpredictable, and bears many unexpected twists. The mid 70s were already the end of the most successful heyday of the Italian Giallo, whilst the heyday of Italian Crime flicks was beginning around the time. Several Gialli from the time, therefore used elements that are mainly attributed to the Poliziottesco, such as drugs, underage prostitution, corruption etc. The most famous example for that may be Massimo Dallamano's "La Polizia Chiede Ajuto" (aka. "What Have They Done To Your Daughters?" of 1974, and it is also the case with this film. The overload of slapstick elements here is quite unique, though, which is not necessarily a good thing. True, even the most famous Giallo of all-time (and also one of the greatest), Dario Argento's masterpiece "Profondo Rosso" from the same year, has several comical moments. Not to the same extent, though, as these moments are just occasionally in "Profondo Rosso", where they actually greatly create more closeness to the characters. In "Suspected Death Of A Minor" these elements are not quite as funny, but therefore including more slapstick, omnipresent and used to a sometimes annoying extent. Even so, the idea of a Giallo with slapstick-elements is original, to say at least, and the film does not loose its compelling Mystery/Thriller parts. Leading man Claudio Casellini starred in a variety of Italian Exploitation and Horror productions, including "Flavia The Heretic", "Murder At The Etruscan Cemetery" and director Martino's very own "Mountain Of The Cannibal God". The role which Casellini is probably best known for is that of the investigating detective in "What Have They Done To Your Daughters", a film that bears many resemblances to this one (even though "What Have They Done To Your Daughters" is more serious, and a lot better). The film is superbly shot, and the score by Luciano Michelini is brilliant and contributes a lot to the atmosphere and suspense. Overall. "Suspected Death Of A Minor" is a highly recommendable film for all my fellow Giallo-enthusiasts and Sergio Martino fans. I would nonetheless recommend to see Martino's brilliant other Gialli first. Especially "Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key" (which, by the way, is funnily referenced to in this film) comes with my highest possible recommendations, and films like "Torso" and "The Strange Vice Of Mrs. Wardh" are also essential for genre-fans. My opinion on "Suspected Death Of A Minor": 7/10

Technically, The Suspicious Death of a Minor is a giallo. It has a mystery, and all of the exploitation elements of prostitution, crime, and violence. Too bad this film wanted to be trashy American tv.

As an American watching Italian films, part of what I appreciate about giallos is that they are very Italian (though some are also Spanish) and differ from American mysteries and horror from the 1970s in significant ways - with the exception of Alfred Sole's Alice Sweet Alice and the British film Don't Look Now. These last two films are excellent English-language tributes to the giallo. But The Suspicious Death of a Minor is decidedly NOT an excellent tribute to American cinema.

Essentially, it's a buddy comedy featuring an adult man in his 30s befriending a younger petty thief of about 20, who showers his mother and siblings with gifts he steals by snatching purses from street walkers and other tacky ventures. They team up to solve a murder, and from there it's all downhill.

This mediocre giallo is filled to the brim with fist fights, numerous car accidents, and slapstick comedy better suited to an episode of The Dukes of Hazard and features mystery elements reminiscent of the cop soap Hart to Hart rather than of giallo-inspiration Agatha Christie. I mean, I can see why some people would like this sort of thing, but I just don't. There was some physical comedy which appeared to be an intentional homage to 1920s silent film which I appreciated, but it just wasn't enough to carry the flick. I cannot believe Sergio Martino was even involved with this.

A young prostitute is found brutally killed and is up to detective Germi (Claudio Cassinelli) the investigation of the case, as the search progress he uncovers a girls trafficking ring with connections to powerful people.

The script comes from Ernesto Gastaldi, possibly the most prolific writer in the Italian film industry. He wrote scripts for Bava, Fulci, Leone and more. If he has not written an autobiography, he really should... few scribes can claim to have put so many trashy masterpieces on the screen. Director Sergio Martino claims he added to the script and "changed it radically", though it is evident that the vast majority is Gastaldi's work.

Martino was responsible for possibly the best-named giallo film out here, "Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key" (1972). This one is also usually called a giallo, though it may blur the line with a police procedural. Typically, a giallo protagonist is a common person, or at most a journalist, but rarely a police officer -- someone who should actually be involved in a mystery.

Sergio and his brother, producer Luciano Martino, were the grandsons of director Gennaro Righelli, who directed the first Italian sound film, "The Song of Love" (1930). While the Martino brothers worked heavily in cult and genre films, there is no denying they had a deep family history in cinema.

This may be Claudio Cassinelli's best-known film. He did go on to appear in "The Mountain of the Cannibal God" (1978) and "Hands of Steel" (1986), both directed by Martino. In fact, he tragically died in a helicopter crash while making the latter film, an event that Martino talks about in length on the Blu-ray.

The 2017 Arrow Blu-ray has a brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative, with the sound either mono Italian or English (your choice). We get a new audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of "So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films". And, last but certainly not least, a new 42-minute interview with co-writer/director Sergio Martino. Oddly, Barbara Magnolfi was not interviewed, despite her being generally accessible.

Those who watch Sergio Martino's The Suspicious Death of a Minor expecting a giallo might be surprised at what they see, but I don't think they'll be disappointed: it's more poliziotteschi (police procedural crime drama) than giallo, but moves at such a rollicking pace, with a dash of humour and lots of action, that it would be hard not to enjoy.

The film follows tough guy Paolo Germi (Claudio Cassinelli) as he investigates the death of a young prostitute with the help of bag-snatcher Giannino (Adolfo Caruso). As he gets closer to the truth, Germi uncovers an agency trafficking under-age girls, has close encounters with both the police and murderous criminals, breaks his spectacles several times (a running gag), recovers 2 billion lire in ransom money from a recent kidnapping, and reveals a wealthy and influential citizen to be a drug-dealing pedophile. And for the first forty-five minutes or so, we're not even sure what side of the law Germi is on.

Martino delivers several nasty murders, which should keep the giallo fans content, including a throat slashing, a stabbing, and a strangulation (the third victim managing to throw a pan of boiling water in her attacker's face before dying). We also get a lengthy car chase scene that features lots of vehicular excitement (even though one of the cars is a clapped-out 2-CV), but which is primarily played for laughs - one of the sillier scenes involves a man on a bicycle who gets hit by a car and ends up riding a unicycle, while a pedestrian is literally sent spinning (on his head!). There's also a fun shootout on a roller coaster which turns into a chase on foot, and an altercation between Germi and the scalded murderer (Roberto Posse) that leaves our hero dangling precariously off a cinema roof.

7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for the groovy Goblin-esque prog-rock score.

As other reviewers have said this is a strange movie. It is kind of an "unofficial" sixth entry to the series of excellent gialli directed by Sergio Martino in the early 1970's (although, as such, it is definitely step down from his previous film "Torso"). It has a very familiar "giallo-esqe" starting point where the investigation of a murdered underage prostitute leads to a lot of equally nasty killings. It also functions as a "poliziani" with lots of action and chase sequences and a cynical plot involving high-level political intrigue. Claudio Cassinelli plays a cop who makes Dirty Harry look restrained and by-the-book. He sleeps with prostitutes, consorts with minor criminals, feels up underage girls, shoots at civilians, and even leads the regular police on a wreckless high-speed chase for no real reason. The people he is after though are even worse, involved in everything from kidnapping to drugs and teenage prostitution to money laundering.

But if all this isn't a little too much, the movie also tries to be a comedy. Cassanelli has a comical side-kick, and there is a running gag where he keeps breaking his glasses. Sometimes the comedy works, but other times it tends to sabotage the drama, like when he incorporates slapstick pratfalls into what is already a very over-long car chase (a bane of these type of movies ever since "The French Connection" was released in Italy). Fortunately, Cassinelli has charisma to spare in his first of many roles for director Martino (he didn't have the impressive breasts of Martino's other frequent collaborator Edwige Fenech, but he was no doubt a better actor). Jenny Tamburi, on the other hand, was pretty much wasted (both as an actress and pair of impressive breasts). But Mel Ferrer and most of the other obscure more actors acquit themselves pretty well. Not as good as Martino's earlier movies, but better than his later ones, and it has just been released in widescreen with English subtitles on (import) DVD. So check it out for yourself.

What started as an usual sub-par giallo quickly turned into a giallo with one of the most interesting main characters ever, cool story of his investigation filled with tension and his comedic interaction with his thief sidekick. Whole movie is a very weird mix of comedy, thriller and a little bit of drama and society criticism. It somehow manages to work and it doesn't overstay it's welcome, even if it's almost two hours long. Sure it isn't a masterpiece an has it's flaws, but I wasn't looking for a masterpiece and neither should you. I enjoyed this movie very much and I recommend to both veterans of the genre and casuals alike. 7/10!

Nothing like the gialli of Sergio Martino, "The Suspicious Death Of A Minor" is really a poliziotteschi with giallo elements. There are some giallo-esque murders and the rest is a mystery involving prostitution. The main character does a fine job and the supporting cast is fine as well. The music is groovy prog-rock except for the chase scenes, which sound like the music from "Watch Out, Were Mad." The main character's car is like the car from "Deep Red," where you have to climb in through the roof. All-around fine film with a "Dirty Harry" type cop facing off with an evil banker and a hitman with sunglasses.

Well written and well made, but the slapstick comedy is jarring. It broke the spell and really took me out of the film. Claudio Cassinelli does an incredible job as the protagonist. The camera absolutely loves him. The political commentary on corruption is a nice addition.

I think my biggest issue is the tonal shifts in the film. It's hard to take it seriously, and I think it would have been a better film if it was a bit more serious and allowed the audience to feel the gravity of the situation instead of distracting us with a joke.

It certainly wasn't a Giallo as we expect, however it is an interesting crime genre from the tireless Sergio Martino, when a disguise cop Paolo Germi (Claudio Cassinelli) track down a killer of an teenager girl under suspicious circumstances, he tries figure out what going on behind of this odd death, having a little help from a young thief they dig on a dangerous ground, some clues point out to a domestic work's labor union, from there came the victim, meanwhile has a kidnapping of a little boy, Germi settles an ambush waiting arrest the pimp Il Menga, he did and stays there for a while, then appears a couple guys to delivers the huge money from the kidnapping, Germi starts dig deeply to got the mandatory of all this, also having in the casting the great Mell Ferrer as Police Superintendent, Martino gave us a true diving of the underground world of prostitution at Milano, he also mix several elements in this picture, cars chase, comedy, some slapstick comic scenes, wholly watchable with gorgeous girls by the way, a must to see!!

Resume:

First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / DVD / Rating: 7

Sergio Martino is undoubtedly one of the premier luminaries of the Giallo genre, having made such as important classics as The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh and The Case of the Scorpion's Tail. Martino made a series of five Giallo's in the early seventies, and while this could easily be seen as the sixth entry; it rarely gets a mention in discussions about the others, and the reason for that is down to the fact that this film arguably isn't even a Giallo. The film features clear cut Giallo elements; we have a killer, young girls being murdered, fair amounts of gore etc etc; but then we also have a barrage of car chases, shootouts, police procedure and most strangely of all; a completely out of place dose of humour! It all starts like any other Giallo might, as we witness the murder of a prostitute at the hands of an unseen killer. Then we are introduced to a man who hooks up with a local thief and the pair go round stealing prostitute's handbags. The mystery man is later revealed to be a police inspector, and he has his own unorthodox methods for getting to the bottom of the convoluted plot.

The film was released in 1975, which is towards the end of the Giallo's golden period and near the start of the Polizi trend that took over it. This film falls somewhere between the two successful Italian exports and the result is a bit muddled - with the emphasis being more on general crime than the murders. Then we've got this comedy element, which really is completely misguided, and all the more strange for the fact that the screenplay was written by the great Ernesto Gastaldi. It really does add nothing; the only effect being the undermining of several tense and well worked sequences! It's all the more strange considering the plot - this is a dark film handling themes of underage sex, murder and prostitution so I really don't know what Gastaldi was thinking! However, the film is redeemed by plenty of tense sequences and a decent car chases which is sure to please the Polizi fans. The film also features a superb leading performance from Claudio Cassinelli as the unorthodox inspector. There's also an odd score which has shade's of Goblin mixed in with elevator music. Overall, this is not one of the great Martino Giallo's; but it's not too bad and should please a lot of Giallo fans.

With the possible exception of fellow polymath, Lucio Fulci, maestro, Sergio Martino is, perhaps, one of the more conspicuously versatile Italian genre directors. Frequently displaying a mercurial talent in his bravura, delightfully eclectic canon of sublime, sin-drenched cinema, and one of the finer examples of his seemingly effortless mutability is the gripping Poliziotteschi /Giallo hybrid 'The Suspicious Death of a Minor'. A darkly compelling tale of moral depravity, murder, and political corruption expertly told with, Martino's signature flair for dazzling set pieces, featuring yet another wonderfully assured performance by the magnificent, Claudio Cassinelli.

Co-written by Poliziotteschi /Giallo illuminatus, Ernesto Gastaldi it should come as little surprise that this dynamic, decidedly sleazy blend of sleek, knife-flashing Gialli and gripping thick-eared Poliziotteschi proves so immersive an experience. The plot's nefarious twists and turns darkly interlace a more standard kidnapping trope with a far more unsavoury narrative of human trafficking, political duplicity and the callous murder of young women. The case galvanizes the profound passions of resolute, seemingly indomitable undercover cop, Paolo Germi, who takes on the evil perpetrators with all the pyrotechnical zeal of, Maurizio Merli or Franco Nero!

If one might excuse the obvious pun, Martino's fabulously tense, razor-edged Giallo remains a minor crime classic. The more lurid elements, zesty, freewheeling action and the impassioned dramatic developments are fascinatingly developed, working as both a nuenced politically minded thriller and tough hard-boiled Gialli. I honestly don't feel that I can praise, Cassinelli's full-blooded performance enough, he is absolutely mesmeric in the charismatic guise of twin-fisted, morally upright, deliciously sardonic cop, Paolo Germi. 'Morte Sospetta Di Una Minorenne' is nigh on flawless cinema, and the exquisite soundtrack by, Luciano Michelini is a sonically splendiferous affair, an altogether rousing, spine tingling feast for the soul!

Director Sergio Martino is probably best known these days for his gialli - and this is marketed as such, but it's actually more of a 'police procedural'. An undercover 'loose cannon' cop investigating organised crime in Milan is contacted by an underage prostitute who wishes to pass on information. They meet, but she quickly becomes aware she has been followed and flees to her boarding house. The mysterious figure she was fleeing from tracks her to the boarding house and kills her. The cop makes it his mission to go after the people who were pimping her, in the hopes of closing down their operation and finding the killer. This leads him to a network of underage prostitution, and before long he's up against prominent bankers and businessmen, and connections with kidnapping and drug dealing, as more prostitutes are being killed.

It's a strange film. The subject matter is gritty, and killings by razor and knife are graphically shown. Yet at times it goes full slapstick, including one of the most bizarre car chases I've ever seen, where the occupants of a Citroen 2CV actually pull the doors off their own car and throw them at the pursuing vehicle(!), and (in the course of a ridiculous amount of collateral damage) a bicycle gets hit, resulting in the cyclist riding just the rear wheel like a unicycle, whilst a pedestrian gets knocked over twice, spinning on his head like a breakdancer each time he hits the ground! That said, it's a good story, and the performances (especially those of Claudio Cassinelli as the cop, Lia Tanzi as one of the prostitutes, the always reliable Mel Ferrer as a Police Superintendent, and Roberto Posse as the killer) are excellent. There's also some impressive stunt work, as well as a pretty good Goblin-like score (by Luciano Michelini). 7.5/10.

While perfectly watchable and with at least two incredible set pieces (a shootout on a rollercoaster and a showdown on a cinema roof that opens) this movie is not a giallo.

As in a giallo, there is a murderer skulking about, but the search for his identity does not drive the movie's story as is standard for giallo films. Instead, we learn who he is early on. He's not even the proper antagonist of the story. That would be the international banker who orchestrates the film's crimes, just as "the Frog" does in The French Connection.

Also, our protagonist in this movie is not a regular citizen pulled into a murder mystery, which is so essential to the giallo narrative structure. Instead, he is a cop, who like The French Connection's Popeye Doyle, relishes breaking the rules. Also, like Popeye Doyle, he relishes the chase. This film has quite a few chase sequences. One takes place on busy city streets and lasts a very long time, much like Doyle's famous inner-city pursuit of the bad guy riding from stop to stop on an elevated subway train in The French Connection.

As much as I love 70s Italian cinema, the Italians just don't hold a candle to 70s Hollywood when it comes to gritty action flicks. This movie invites the comparison and then suffers from it. It's just not anywhere near as good as Bullitt, Death Wish, The French Connection, or Dirty Harry.

There are other essential giallo elements missing from The Suspicious Death of a Minor. Its kills are not creative, but are instead prosaic. Similarly, there is hardly any nudity. The tone is not dark and mysterious, but generally humorous and jaunty. Moreover, absolutely nobody in this film looks particularly fashionable (except maybe that coke dealer in the crimson red shirt, who is onscreen for about a minute).

Don't get me wrong. This movie is not bad. But it's also not a giallo.

Thatt the end of the DVD and Blu ray era is on that we all know for a few years. Streaming services did destroy it all. Now that streaming is a normal thing Netflix has put a few Italian flicks in their vault.

This is one I had to see, you know, close-up view of the killer, POV from the killer. Sunglasses but no gloves. You know were I am going, Giallo. But just on the edge for me.

It's more of a detective flick but what the hell. Prostitutes under 16, Here and there some rather slashings and stabbings and they are also again just on the edge of gore for the time it was made.

So if you are into Giallo you can watch it and if you can stand some messy killings watch it, out on Arrow video but also from today on Netflix,

Gore 1/5 Nudity 1/5 Effects 2/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5.