Deep Red is not, I am sorry to say, a perfect film, no matter what some people may try to say. This rests entirely on about half an hour or so of footage, mostly cut in the initial American release, that simply should never have been in the movie; most falls entirely in the category of failed comic relief (although some of it, the arm wrestling scene for example, is very important, and the "director's cut" is certainly the version to watch).
The rest of the movie, on the other hand, is a masterpiece. Vaguely similar to (but far superior than) some of the more Hitchcock-esque work of Brian De Palma, "Deep Red" makes the intelligent choice to forget careful narrative believability (it makes much more sense than most "thrillers", though) and immerse the viewer completely in a bizarre, disjointed nightmare, edged on by the audacious Goblin soundtrack and some of the most brutally dazzling murder scenes ever filmed (although not the goriest, exactly; I'd still advise those with weak stomachs to stay far away), which explode from the plot-line (which itself is really made up of an unfolding series of jagged vignettes that finally coalesce in a jaw-dropping finale, a precursor in many ways to David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive") every so often to amaze us with acts of cinematic virtuosity, sort of like the songs of an old MGM musical.
Even better than the brilliant "Suspiria","Deep Red" is the giallo film to watch, and the ideal place to start for absolutely anyone interested in this weirdly fascinating sub-genre. It certainly makes the last 25 years of American "thrillers" look tamely pathetic, to say the least.
The rest of the movie, on the other hand, is a masterpiece. Vaguely similar to (but far superior than) some of the more Hitchcock-esque work of Brian De Palma, "Deep Red" makes the intelligent choice to forget careful narrative believability (it makes much more sense than most "thrillers", though) and immerse the viewer completely in a bizarre, disjointed nightmare, edged on by the audacious Goblin soundtrack and some of the most brutally dazzling murder scenes ever filmed (although not the goriest, exactly; I'd still advise those with weak stomachs to stay far away), which explode from the plot-line (which itself is really made up of an unfolding series of jagged vignettes that finally coalesce in a jaw-dropping finale, a precursor in many ways to David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive") every so often to amaze us with acts of cinematic virtuosity, sort of like the songs of an old MGM musical.
Even better than the brilliant "Suspiria","Deep Red" is the giallo film to watch, and the ideal place to start for absolutely anyone interested in this weirdly fascinating sub-genre. It certainly makes the last 25 years of American "thrillers" look tamely pathetic, to say the least.