THE SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF A MINOR – The Blu Review

Review by Roger Carpenter

Sergio Martino was a journeyman Italian director who averaged around three films a year into the early nineties and who worked in many different genres including documentaries (Naked and Violent), spaghetti westerns (A Man Called Blade), poliziotteschi (The Violent Professionals), sex comedies (Sex with a Smile), and action films (The Great Alligator; Slave of the Cannibal God; 2019: After the Fall of New York).  But this blue-collar filmmaker is arguably most famous for his early seventies gialli such as The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail, All the Colors of the Dark, Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, and Torso.  Each of these gialli films are–rightly so–considered genuine classics of the genre and fans of these films each have their favorite Sergio Martino giallo.  However, his final giallo of this period (he would return to the genre less successfully in the early eighties) is rarely mentioned among his best-known works, perhaps because it is such a different film than most of his other work up to that time.

At first glance The Suspicious Death of a Minor certainly sounds like another luridly-titled, straightforward giallo, probably filled with controversial content such as perverted sex and graphic violence, a hallmark of the genre and something Martino never shied away from in his films. Even the basic premise of the story–the plot centers around the murder of a prostitute, a criminal ring trafficking in underage prostitutes, and a rich pedophile who pimps out his niece—sounds ready-made for the prototypical giallo.  But, perhaps sensing a change in the Italian filmgoer’s appetites for the grindhouse-like content of many gialli, this time Martino chooses a completely different take on the genre.

Part giallo, part poliziotesschi, the film is surprisingly tame given the time period in which it was made as well as the genre, and includes quite a bit of typically silly—but not very funny—Italian comedy.  And this may explain why The Suspicious Death of a Minor is often overlooked in discussions about Martino’s gialli.  The Suspicious Death of a Minor is a decidedly different—and uneven—film and isn’t easily pigeonholed into one particular genre.  I also suspect another reason it isn’t a fan favorite is because, at least in my opinion, Italian comedy doesn’t particularly resonate with American audiences.  I’ve seen my share of Italian comedies, sexy and otherwise, and the vast majority of these films are simply tedious to watch.  I also find the instances of comedy sprinkled throughout other Italian genre films quite tedious, especially the way gay men were portrayed in the seventies and eighties.  It never seemed funny to me; on the contrary, I actually found much of this “comedy” offensive. The comedy runs the gamut from the joke of a bumbling detective getting his bag stolen to a car chase that, at various times during the chase, manages to break a bicycle in half, leaving the rider to comically try to balance on one wheel only to crash into the street; cause another man to get knocked over as he literally twirls upside down and on the top of his head—not once, but twice—before dizzily walking into a pole and collapsing; and then one of the cars taking the door of a parked car off during the chase.  None of the comedy in this sequence is fresh.  In fact, most of this quaint, near-slapstick type of comedy was pioneered by silent stars.

A unique difference in this film than in many others is the fact that we are over halfway through before we discover who the actual protagonist is.  It’s not that we don’t see this character or follow his actions during the first half of the film.  It’s just that the character’s real identity is kept from the viewer with misdirection.  While the astute viewer probably won’t be surprised, it’s still an original plot point that isn’t typically seen in films.  However, it causes some initial confusion as the viewer is left to wonder exactly where this film is going.

The film does boast a veritable who’s-who of Italian genre stars.  Claudio Cassinelli, star of innumerable Italian genre films like Flavia the Heretic, What Have They Done to Your Daughters?, Slave of the Cannibal God, and Screamers, stars as Germi, a police detective in an elite unit that effectively allows him to operate alone and out of reach of regular policies.  As the film leaves the comedy behind in the second half and turns a bit darker, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry films—the first two which had been made well before this film—as Germi goes rogue in his effort to discover the prostitute’s murderer.  Dirty Harry Callahan was a clear inspiration for Cassinelli’s portrayal.  But Cassinelli, who was also a journeyman actor, plays the role with zest and remains likeable even when breaking into locked buildings or beating information out of possible suspects.  Unfortunately Cassinelli died in a tragic helicopter crash while filming a different Martino film in 1985.  The ubiquitous Mel Ferrer, he of innumerable Italian genre films of the time, plays a supporting role as the police commissioner who is always busting Germi’s balls.  He is always a welcome addition and seems to lend an aura of patrician quality to even the cheapest productions such as the “so bad it’s good” Nightmare City.  Other notable actors include Gianfranco Barra, Adolfo Caruso, Jenny Tamburi, Massimo Girotti, and Barbara Magnolfi.

The script was written by genre veteran Ernesto Gastaldi.  He has written so many classic screenplays for so many classic Italian genre films it’s useless to even attempt to single out a few.  This isn’t his best screenplay.

Ultimately, the film suffers for its schizophrenia and poor attempts at comedy, though Martino scores points for trying to scramble genres, lighten the mood, and attempt something different.  It’s not a bad film.  It’s just not one of Martino’s better efforts.  But leave it to Arrow Video to unearth another lesser-known genre film and release it in a deluxe package.  These guys are thorough!  It’s always nice to uncover a rarely-seen film such as this, though it may be for Martino fans or giallo completists only.

The Blu-Ray and standard DVD combo features a brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative.  It looks and sounds terrific.  Extra features include an entertaining audio commentary by giallo expert Troy Howarth, a 43-minute discussion about the film with Sergio Martino entitled “Violent Milan,” and the original theatrical trailer.  As with all of Arrow’s first pressings, this package also comes with a collector’s booklet with new writing about the film.  You can purchase the film at Amazon or directly from Arrow Video at http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/category/usa/.