 Thanks for checking out this movie review video. So this is for the 1975 Italian giallo film The Suspicious Death of a Minor and I watched it on an aero blu-ray Looks really good as you would assume from something from aero This actually is a version that has blu-ray and DVD I guess because it came out during that time when they were you know kind of trying to bridge the gap I assume but yeah, this is a Sergio Martino film if you have interest in giallo in general I have a lot of giallo reviews on my channel. I have an entire playlist for giallo film reviews I also have an entire playlist for just Sergio Martino films as well because I've reviewed a bunch of his as well So this isn't my favorite suspicious death of a minor is not my favorite Martino film, but I found it entertaining It's also you know not towards the higher Rankings of giallo films. I've seen it's probably more towards the middle ish or lower middle But it's still entertaining. It's definitely worth watching. I enjoyed it well enough So like I said directed by Sergio Martino some other films you know well potentially would know of his Your vice is a locked room and only I have the key which actually there's a poster that shows up in the film If you notice for that film When they eventually go to the theater that for some odd reason has like this opening Ceiling, I don't know if that was actually a thing back then in Italy But you can let me know in the comments if you find that information But yeah when when they go to the to that theater They show a really close-up shot of kind of like the keyhole picture with someone like screaming inside of it from the poster That is your vice your vice is locked room and only I have the key which Martino did He also did films all the colors of the dark the strange vice of mrs. Ward Which is probably my favorite of his films torso the case of the scorpions tail the scorpion with two tails an American rickshaw which by the way I have American rickshaw in this pile up here that I need to watch and we'll be watching relatively soon written by Martino and Ernesto Gestaldi Now you may know that name especially if you've been watching a bunch of my review videos for giallo films Gestaldi's been involved with scripts for the vampire in the ballerina werewolf in a girl's dormitory The whip in the body the vice is a locked room and only I have the key all the colors of the dark the case of the bloody Iris the strange vice of mrs. Ward torso the forbidden photos of a lady about suspicion The scorpion with two tails the case of the scorpions tail and death walks on high heels Now that's just some of the films now Gestaldi did a lot of writing But I was just trying to name more, you know horror and giallo films. So just know that So apparently Gestaldi said in an interview about this film that he didn't think it was that all that great And he just felt like Martino wasn't really able to like work his magic on the film now I don't know if that was kind of like a deflecting that he was doing because the story's not the best I really kind of feel like Martino did what he could with that to be honest Because from a directorial and cinematography standpoint, I think it actually looks good and there's a lot of interesting camera movement There's a lot of interesting shots the way the camera moves with the characters because there's a lot of movement in this film I mean one one of the parts that really comes to mind for me. It's a very engaging is when they're following After the the shoot out on the roller coaster at that carnival Then it goes to the subway and they they're like the cameras following one of the guys running who then like jumps the turn style And then they kind of like stop there, but but that kind of like following movement I think I I'm just pointing to that to say those types of things in this film. Martino did what he could I think this is kind of Gestaldi trying to deflect a little bit that the story wasn't that great because the story is not that great, honestly Luchiano Michelini Actually did all the music for this and I will say that by and large the music is not that good in my opinion That is one of the biggest problems, especially like I Don't want to say it's like a Benny Hill type song if you know what I'm talking about and what I'm talking about But like there's kind of this Benny Hill type song It's like a little too light a little too goofy and wacky that plays numerous times in the film that I feel really takes away from the tension and I don't know just being interested in the film. It's a weird song. It's weird types of music, but the Theme song like the intro song that actually shows up a few other times in the film I think sounds really good because it sounds very goblin-esque I don't know if people agree with me on that one, but I really do like that particular song But other than that not a great score this film was also called too young to die which Makes sense. I I like this title a lot better. It's just more interesting and it's more giallo-like if you know what I mean So in the beginning of this film no mystery what the killer looks like as he is shown Very much so when he is stabbing Marissa Or I'm sorry Marissa I mean yes, they're not showing his eyes because he has those super reflective sunglasses, but the point ended up being With this not who the actual killer is but who is kind of motivating the killer at that point And that's kind of what I assumed when I first saw that they were showing the face of the actual guy doing the stabbing and throat slitting so You know not your typical giallo in that sense another way that it's not your typical giallo is it's very focused on action I've never seen a giallo film this focused on action and chases I think it's the case. No, it wasn't the case of bloody iris Blackbillie the tarantula there is a significant chase scene in that but this kind of takes that and then just goes like way further Yeah, I've never seen this type of action in a Giallo, it's like Beverly Hill cops giallo, you know You get the idea the town where the murder happened is shady as the guy on the motorcycle steals a briefcase from the cops and Carmen the prostitute laughs at them and makes fun they they do a good job of kind of Making it seem like the cops shouldn't be that Surprise that Marisa got killed there because a where she gets killed is a house of ill repute aka brothel aka a house of prostitutes aka a whorehouse Anything you want to say that's where it happens and you and you do get that idea that not only is that going on But then Giannino who you find out who he is later goes by and steals from the police which that's brazen That is obviously very brazen and I feel like that's in the script to kind of show you what a bad side of the town this is That someone's that brazen just steal from the cops, but then again, this does kind of fall into the whole Trope that you have a lot in giallo films where it's kind of like the cops are stupid Obviously other than detective Paolo who is the smartest guy ever But is also extremely questionable in his actions and how he acts towards people as a man of the law I understand he was in an unofficial capacity doing his work, but Very questionable guy But that's part of the fun Why is Paolo strangling this woman with a gun to her head? He could try asking her some questions first That is the woman who was Answering the phone at the brothel who I guess saw Marisa run up before she was killed He just gets really violent with her like immediately like he starts strangling her He's holding a gun to her head and then he starts asking her questions basically So you see his methods very early on because this is very early on he's brutal. He doesn't really care He's just gonna get results like that's his main drive. He doesn't care who he hurts What he destroys in the meantime or how many people die to be honest because people end up dying while he's doing his work He just cares about results So odd when Paolo gets Giannino to join him in stealing purses from prostitutes Then it turns into a straight-up comedy especially because of that zany piano music that I was referencing earlier That whole sequence where he's stealing all these purses While you know Giannino's on the back of the motorcycle and Paolo's driving it and he's just like snatching purses because he wants to find out Who men get is so he's trying to look at their IDs later and tells Giannino he can keep all the money which is obviously what he's interested in but when they kind of get caught People are like hitting them and slapping them and stuff and it's just like that zany like piano music which Benny Hill ish If you know what I mean Paolo putting in the detective work, but not letting his money go to waste with the prostitute. He hires Carla When he gets some information from her he pays her he acts like he's a John basically and he's going to pay her for sex And then he gets this information and he's just like oh well That's basically all I want and he's like but I'm not gonna let this money go to waste Let's uh get it on and he does and that further lets you know who he really is as a person not not a squeaky clean man of the law I Wasn't sure Paolo's car would make it through the whole film. It's a real beater And it didn't it actually got replaced after he got that money from Peche Or Peche The banker guy who ended up being the dude behind it all in the end obviously Nice trick with the unsigned check and following Floriana to Manga's place I feel like the sequence following her as well where the film actually really started to pick up prior to that It was a little bit slow. It's a little bit meandering You didn't really know what it was doing, but as soon as he plays that trick on Floriana with the unsigned check because her fault for not checking it and then Manga starts like beating her because of it that It's taking the mystery somewhere, you know, it's like okay now. We're hitting the ground really We're really going somewhere. I feel like we're gonna start getting pieces of the actual puzzle at this point Paolo is so brash love love how he has a coke and watches TV at Manga's place after he killed him so Manga killed Floriana accidentally and then Paolo killed Manga and then just drags their bodies into another room goes and gets a Coca-Cola from the refrigerator sits down and starts watching TV while drinking a Coke Like it just goes into this dude's psyche of just like he doesn't care He does not care. He just wanted to take a load off But I think oh I think that could actually partially be because he was waiting to see if the ransom money was gonna end up showing up Which it did You realize pretty quick. They use the typical incompetent police trope. I already talked about that It's so wacky when Giannino is throwing the car doors at the cop car as Paolo drives In general the car chase scene is extremely wacky Especially with the music they used and it's a very very long scene. That was a super long car chase scene But you have all these things happening like all the car doors being thrown Which is very over-the-top wacky weird with that weird wacky music and then like the guy who? Almost gets hit hit by the car and he's like spinning around on the ground and then it happens again And then the nuns in the car, and it's just it's too much It's too much like kind of like a slapsticky comedy type thing and that's not really what this film is about I feel like you can have kind of like a funny moment here or there if you want but When you're doing that it's it's too much now I don't know if that was all scripted stuff or maybe Martino did come up with that stuff while on the set I don't know, but that stuff wasn't very good. I don't feel like it meshed with the film Glad that it finally makes sense why Paolo was with Marisa in the very beginning of the film He was working the kidnapping case unofficially as I said yeah, because it starts with him running into her and having that dance with her and You're just like okay, like why is he there at that point? Especially for someone who's gonna end up being killed and then you find out he's a tech So you eventually find out he was already kind of work unofficially working this case and Marisa had some information That had to do with that young boy who had been kidnapped and his parents paid the ransom But then they didn't want to talk about anything having to do with it and apparently that was a whole pattern That kept happening They sure cover a lot of area in the film because there are a lot of chases in it There's even the roller coaster shootout that ends up on the subway tracks Which that was probably my favorite part of the film I really enjoy that it's nuts. I mean who thinks of having a shootout go on on a roller coaster I think it's a crazy idea, but I think it's cool And then the fact that it it you know They're running after each other and it goes into the subway and like I said the guy like jumps the turnstile Well, the cameras following him and then he gets Taken out by a subway. You don't see any viscera from it, which I wish you did but That's the idea is that he gets kind of his body gets crushed and swept away by the subway Paulo's glasses continually getting cracked is kind of a dumb callback joke. They did that what three times in the film I just felt like it was just is a little too forced. It wasn't very interesting. It wasn't funny. It was just a thing Man Paulo is real rough with Carla I know it seems like she screwed him over on some information But he threatens to break her ankle just another thing pointing to how outside of the law Paulo actually operates within this film when he goes to Carl and he's like you're you know The information wasn't good. You're trying to screw me over He's like literally throws her on the bed and like grabs her ankle and talks about well Maybe you do better with a broken ankle and it's just like do calm down calm down But you know you do see throughout the film that they're they're interested in kind of throwing the book at him The regular police officers are but then there's that little group that's kind of wants to protect him because they're like No, we need him to do the dirty work. He's doing the unofficial investigation. We need it that way Once the landlady is stabbed death You get the idea the killer is he hired blade and whatever information Marisa had is the key to the mystery Yes, very much what ends up happening and that's kind of the point where you get that idea Once that landlady is stabbed, which by the way on internet movie database calm. I'm DB. Sorry I don't know why I said it all the way out. Everyone knows what that means She is actually in the credits as landlady. That's it. Just landlady. She couldn't even get a name That's how you know she's probably gonna die How about the detail of all the saliva coming out of Carla's mouth when she gets strangled? I really didn't see it coming because how often do you see that? I've seen so many films especially horror films where people get strangled to death But they never have that detail of like just saliva falling out of the person's mouth. That's more natural It's more visceral. It's more disturbing in my opinion and I actually like that touch to Carla's death And I was surprised once again because you don't see that that level of detail usually Note that when Giannino goes to the theater, they show a poster for your vices a locked room and only I have the key I already talked about that and what what is again? What is with the opening roof on the theater? Like I liked the aspect of the you know the chase going up to the rooftop yet another chase in this film the chase going up to the rooftop and then the rooftop opening and the guy like falling through but Once again, is that a thing like was that a thing? I don't know it just seems like something they just created because that's what they wanted to do in the film Which is fine. I just want to know if that was a thing Cool shot through Paolo's new glasses It actually has to be really hard to change the focus that fast when he finally gets his new glasses because he got the Money from Pesci the banker Pesci And it's it starts with the shot through one of his lenses of the new glasses And it's out of focus because it's focusing on the glasses And then he takes it down and it immediately focuses on the guy behind it That quick focus change had to be very tough and it's a cool shot. It's a very cool shot looks good Now wow what a moment when Gloria opens the exploding package when she's on the back of Giannino's motorcycle I definitely did not see that coming I thought maybe it would be a bomb But I thought it would like fizzle out or she would throw it last minute because they'd hear it making some sort of noise I didn't think the motorcycle would just explode in grand fashion like that But I'm glad it did because that's another really good part of the film It's a great scene especially because it is so surprising and Brutal very brutal Shooting a scene on the car train was very interesting. That's another thing I didn't even know those things existed either The fact that you they have train cars That are basically cages that you can drive a car up onto and then they just take it with that was nuts to me I was like this is cool So I love the fact that they incorporated that and the whole scene with you know Paulo getting out of his car and going over and getting in the car of a peshy Well kills his driver first and then getting in the car with peshy and then that's where the final confrontation goes down It was good. It was a good scene The ending does feel pretty anticlimactic and I wish the mystery was a bit more interesting That's what I was talking about with it. The story not being the greatest I guess the big shock was supposed to be the miners being prostitutes and peshy sexually abusing his niece and her friends While giving them coke now when I say it like that it does sound very interesting But the way it ends up being presented and so slowly within the film really is not that interesting They could have revealed it in a more shocking way, but I don't know It just it makes it feel like the film was building towards something and then it kind of fizzles out in the end Now maybe other people feel differently, but you can let me know in the comments. I Like I said though, I still enjoyed this film. I still had a good time with it. I Like how Martino structures a bunch of his shots around the architecture At his shooting locations following people up and downstairs. He did a bunch of that type stuff That's a cool way to like really open the scene up make it feel bigger Make it feel more engaging and interesting and like the audience can kind of see more of the cityscape and what's going on It makes it feel more of a grand film, especially with all these chase scenes like I was talking about In general, I dig Martino's style and that's one thing that keeps this film engaging Nice directing and cinematography with interesting angles and interesting camera movements Like I was saying Gestaldi saying that Martino didn't pull it off. I don't really think so I really do think that Martino did maybe not everything he could have done with this But he did a good job. I really feel like so I think a lot of it's with the stories because Staldy I'm just saying Anyway, what am I gonna rate this out of five stars with half stars in play? I'm gonna give a solid three star rating It's good Not great wanted a little bit more from it But I will still watch it again because obviously I own it now especially so What did you think about this film if you've seen it go ahead and put it down in the comments We can get nerdy about this or just any giallo in general I am down to talk about it because obviously I'm super nerdy about giallo. I think this is my 48th giallo film review Video that I'm putting up gonna be hitting 50 pretty soon, and I'm going to keep going after that I'm gonna try and get as comprehensive as possible with giallo So thank you for checking this out. 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