Originally posted on 7/23/20
(A QUIET PLACE TO KILL is part of Severin's "Lenzi/Baker 4-Volume Blu-ray Collection" which also includes ORGASMO, SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE, and KNIFE OF ICE.)
You know you've hitched a ride on a fun movie when A QUIET PLACE TO KILL, aka "Paranoia" (Severin Films, 1970) opens with a scene as cool as Hollywood legend Carroll Baker (BABY DOLL, THE CARPETBAGGERS, HARLOW) casually donning a crash helmet and hopping into her souped-up racecar for a few high octane laps around the track.
Director Umberto Lenzi, who also directed Carroll in ORGASMO, SO SWEET...SO PERVERSE, and KNIFE OF ICE, seems to be having fun himself at the helm of this light, colorful giallo that breezes through some of the most outlandish plot twists that a decadent cast of wealthy sophisticates could get themselves into on the scenic seacoast of Spain.
The divine Miss Baker plays Helen, whose unfortunate racecar crack-up lands her in the hospital. There, she gets an invitation to convalesce at her ex-husband Maurice's oceanfront villa.
Despite the fact that she tried to kill the handsome but difficult young cad before their divorce, Helen motors her way there only to discover that Maurice has since gotten remarried to Constance, who was, in fact, the one who sent Helen the invitation.
Why, you may ask, would the current wife of Helen's ex-husband extend such an invitation to a woman for whom he most likely still harbors feelings of love, or, at least, lust?
Well--and this is the only big surprise I'm giving away because it happens fairly early and because I have to have something to talk about--it's because Constance wants to pay the cash-strapped Helen to help her murder Maurice.
While that would be enough story material for most movies to pad out till the fadeout, A QUIET PLACE TO KILL is just bursting out of the gate with this giddy revelation.
What follows is a veritable funhouse of plot twists, double-crosses, and other surprises, all involving Maurice and Constance's inquisitive friends as well as Constance's suspicious young stepdaughter, Susan, who returns home from school at the most inopportune time.
The film's original title, "Paranoia", is especially apt when the web of suspicion begins to weave itself inexorably around the guilty parties.
Lenzi's talent for setting such intrigue against beautiful and opulent backdrops is on full display here as watching the film feels a bit like a vicarious vacation in Spain.
It's a sharp contrast to the deadly events portrayed, although as a giallo this is still much less visceral than we would see in the coming decade.
The script offers some sharp, scintillating dialogue and situations--I love the scene where Helen sits between Maurice and Constance at dinner and they're both playing footsie with her--as well as vivid performances and a suspenseful story whose abrupt twists and turns are exhilarating.
The fact that the beautiful Carroll Baker spends much of her screen time in various states of undress doesn't hurt at all, nor do the fine performances from her and the rest of the cast, especially Jean Sorel (BELLE DU JOUR, A LIZARD IN A WOMAN’S SKIN) as Maurice, Anna Proclemer (ILLUSTRIOUS CORPSES) as Constance, and Marina Coffa (Joe Namath's THE LAST REBEL) as wild card Susan.
The Blu-ray from Severin Films is scanned from the original camera negative for the first time in America. Sound is Italian and English mono with English subtitles. The bonus menu, whose contents are listed below, provides added fun (don't forget to hunt for the Easter egg).
While guessing which characters are secretly in cahoots with each other, which ones aren't at all what they seem to be, and who's trying to kill who, it's best to just hang on to A QUIET PLACE TO KILL and go along for the ride. Fans of Umberto Lenzi, early giallo, and the great Carroll Baker should find it a trip worth taking.
Disc Specs for A Quiet Place to Kill:
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audio: Italian mono DTS, English mono DTS
Subtitles: Subtitles for Italian audio / SDH for English audio
Region FREE
Special Features for A Quiet Place to Kill:
Audio Commentary with Author & Critic Samm Deighan
Sex and Conspiracy: Interview with Director Umberto Lenzi
Alternate Credit Sequence
Alternate Clothed Scene
Short Deleted Scene
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