WATCH ME WHEN I KILL!

(A.k.a. IL GATTO DAGLI OCCHI DI GIADA; THE CAT'S VICTIMS; THE CAT WITH THE JADE EYES)

This gem of style over originality is directed by Antonio Bido (THE BLOODSTAINED SHADOW). A pill-popping chemist is bludgeoned then slashed across the throat and left to die in his own shop. Shortly afterwards, nightclub dancer Mara (Paola Tedsco) stops by for some aspirins - and finds the man dead.

As Mara raises the alarm, she is watched from across the street by the killer as they sit calmly in their car.

Later that evening, after dancing for her wages at a local club, Mara returns to her apartment and settles down for the evening. But the killer - who has been following her - breaks into her home with the intention of clubbing her to death. However, a noisy dog in the neighbouring apartment scuppers their plans and they flee into the night as Mara awakes.

Mara understandably freaks out and moves in with her police detective boyfriend Lukas (Corrado Pani). Inevitably, Lukas takes on the case of trying to unmask the killer before his girlfriend becomes their next victim. There are though, of course, a few peripheral characters who get in the way in the meantime to ensure regular scenes of violent murder.

KILL is as derivative as they come - a textbook example of everything that's come to be expected in giallo cinema: misleading sub-plots; a script that appears tight yet upon closer inspection is full of gaping holes; crank phone calls; zoom-ins into furrowed brows; quirky, suspicious characters; sex; a Goblinesque score; a twist ending ... Bido lacks imagination but goes through the genre conventions with style and verve.

The Argento influences are obvious, not only in the score but the lighting, carefully considered camera work and plot. Even some of the murder scenes are close to Argento's earlier efforts (one woman gets her face shoved repeatedly into a boiling pan of food, echoing the scalding bathtub scene in DEEP RED).

But as far as works of plagiarism go, KILL is an above average effort. Okay, the opening credits make it look like you're about to watch an episode of COLUMBO, the end is a little silly (and very abrupt) and the English dubbing is distracting, but overall this is well worth a watch.

The film is presented in it's longest version yet on Shameless' excellent disc. The running time here is 91 minutes and 42 seconds. This restored, uncut print looks good in an anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer with stable colours and decent detail. It's not blessed with the smoothest texture, exhibiting occasional grain and minor edge enhancement. There's also the odd sighting of motion blurring. But it's a superior presentation to the previous VCI DVD releases. The onscreen title on the print used is IL GATTO DAGLI OCCHI DI GIADA.

Audio is provided in English dubbed mono, and is a clear, evenly balanced proposition throughout. An animated main menu page leads into a static scene-selection menu allowing access to the main feature via 12 chapters.

Shameless are upping their game in terms of extras, and in this instance we're treated to the following: A text commentary track. When selected, this plays along with the film at the bottom of the screen in the style of subtitles. It's a sporadically informative read, well-written but at times painfully slow … and speculative!

"Watch Me When I Talk" is a brilliant 20-minute interview with Bido. He sits in front of posters for WATCH ME and BLUE TORNADO while discussing his career and in particular this film at length. He reveals how the original negative is lost, Hitchcock was a huge influence, and - pull the other one, Antonio - how he'd never seen a giallo prior to making this film. It's a great extra, presented in Italian with optional English subtitles.

Next up are original International and US theatrical trailers for the film. Both are worn, but hugely entertaining in that sensationalistic 70s style.

Another nice surprise is the inclusion of alternate International and US opening titles sequences. The former - bearing the title THE CAT'S VICTIMS - is a good 2 minutes long. The latter - WATCH ME WHEN I KILL - is shorter at 40 seconds, but no less interesting.

A gallery offers 22 stills, which incorporate a mix of grabs from the film, domestic release artwork from around the world, and some very nice behind-the-scenes photographs presented in black-and-white. Finally, there's the usual array of trailers for Shameless titles. On this occasion, we're treated to STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER, TORSO (under the title CARNAL VIOLENCE), OASIS OF FEAR, PHANTOM OF DEATH, THE DESIGNATED VICTIM and BABA YAGA. The latter promises a restored, uncensored and "reloaded" version that could well prove to be one of THE genre releases of the year. There's most likely very attractive double-sided cover art for the DVD too, as has become the norm with Shameless releases, but the review disc came with no cover.

WATCH ME WHEN I KILL owes it's style and content to Argento: that's undeniable. But that doesn't stop it from being a hugely enjoyable slice of prime giallo - a film that improves upon repeated viewing. It's a shame about the ropy dubbing but if you can get past that, this is great fun.

The Shameless disc is a world-best release of a recommended film.

Review by Stu Willis