cold eyes of fear

Mainstream movies almost always fall into one category or another. Surprisingly enough, the same holds true for foreign films as well. Enzo Castellari’s Cold Eyes of Fear (1971) starts off as a giallo (translation: sleazy, murder mystery), turns into a home invasion scenario only to flip genres yet again before the finale to become a political thriller. Best known for his straight-up action imports like the original Inglorious Bastards, Castellari isn’t content to let his film gather moss. Rather he constantly reinvents a new category to keep the audience on their toes. And, damn if it doesn’t work.

Peter Flower (Gianni Garko) is a playboy attorney living it up in swinging London. His latest conquest is a dark-haired Italian beauty (Giovanna Ralli) who he takes back to his rich uncle’s home. Waiting inside (along with the body of a dead servant) is a nasty criminal type whose intentions aren’t quite clear but insists that no one leaves until his plan comes to its deadly fruition.

Cold Eyes of Fear has one or two surprises that a full synopsis would completely destroy. We’re not talking Shyamalan-style twists, but fun little moments that hit you like a punch in the nose (that’s a compliment in Castellari films, by the way). By and large the film plays out like a Desperate Hours hostage drama, with our two victims looking for some way out of their situation…while concurrently trying to figure out exactly what the bad guys are after. The film teases you just long enough before revealing facts that shifts the action to Judge Flowers (Fernando Rey), the aforementioned rich uncle, who plays a larger part in the grand scheme of things.

While set almost entirely in stately offices and stuffy British drawing rooms, Castellari goes out of his way to juice things up. From stylized POVs to the cacophonous jazz score contributed by Ennio Morricone, the film uses every cinematic tool in the genre toolbox to keep things interesting. No one will mistake it for a lost classic, but Cold Eyes of Fear does prove that messing with audience’s expectations can have a wonderful payoff.

The Kino Lorber blu-ray, under their Redemption label, looks quite nice. No subtitles are necessary since this one is set in England. Extras are limited to the original trailer and a collection of other related titles.