After he witnesses a masked figure murder a stranger, drummer Roberto Tobias (Michael Brandon) decides against going to the police.
Despite his silence, the killer is not satisfied, and proceeds to engage in a campaign of terror against Roberto.
As the killer murders Roberto’s circle of friends and loved ones, the hapless musician goes on the trial to uncover the killer’s identity…
Maybe it was the effect of watching three movies in a row, but I did not enjoy Four Flies on Grey Velvet.
The lesser of the Animal trilogy, it is hard not to feel like Argento is struggling to come up with new variations on the established formula - the lead character is bland, and, at least in terms of plotting, this feels like the most generic giallo.
However, it does work as a bridge to the future, foreshadowing - in terms of style, and Argento’s specific cinematic vision - the more surreal nightmare-scapes of his movies later in the decade.
One of the most effective scenes is the stalking of the maid (Marisa Fabbri) in the park - it uses jump cuts to show transition: families disappear, there is a timeshift to night. It is wonderfully disconcerting.
It is also hard not to hear Ennio Morricone’s rock soundtrack and think of the musical frenzies Argento would create with Goblin.
But despite a few moments, and a fantastic ending, Four Flies on Grey Velvet is torpedoed by lax story-telling. With Argento, plot is not important - but Four Flies is overburdened with narrative, and a lead character who does not even seem to do anything.
Even by the standards of the previous movies, rockstar Roberto Tobias (Michael Brandon) is uncompelling. Brandon’s performance is a blank - sometimes it works for the film’s increasingly surreal atmosphere, but it drains the movie of energy.
It does not help matters that every idea he gets to fight back against his unseen tormentor is supplied by another character, Godfrey (AKA God). Played by Italian comedy legend Bud Spencer, God is a friend who offers advice throughout the film. Essentially, he is in the role of screenwriter, putting our hero into the mould of the giallo seeker protagonist, and telling him how to respond to his enemy’s every move.
While it lacks forward momentum, what makes Four Flies on Grey Velvet interesting from a genre perspective is how homebound it is. Unlike a typical mystery - or the previous films - most of the action is based at Roberto’s home. And this supposedly safe space is repeatedly shown to be the complete opposite.
In this respect, Four Flies on Grey Velvet is more like a giallo riff on Gaslight, with Roberto as the helpless victim of (spoilers) his spouse (Mimsy Farmer).
One wishes the film was more involving, because what makes Roberto interesting is the ways in which his character is stripped of agency.
By the end of the picture, I was too checked out and tired to care.
The first film of the trilogy with a masked killer, Four Flies on Grey Velvet is worth checking out. But it probably deserves some space from the other entries in the Animal trilogy to fully appreciate it.
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