With Mario Bava, it doesn't really matter if the story is good or not- he creates visual experiences out of a telephone book if necessary. Here, Bava delivers a film based on the archetype of the fumetto nero- immoral and/ or amoral gangster-hero Diabolik. Here Diabolik is even more of an anarchist than a simple gangster. For the time it was quite unusual to tell the story from the villain's point of view and moreover to let the villain win. Stylistically this film is iconic: scenes or motives lifted from Diabolik pop up all over the place. It's stylish: great sets, cool dudes, good soundtrack and bright colours. What I like about this film is that it's one of the few comic book adaptations that work visually. As opposed to many other directors Bava makes full use of cinematic possibilities instead of copying the 2 dimensional panel look of a comic book. Of course the dramaturgy is rather weird, as the film works more like two episodes of a series then one story or one film.
Review of Danger: Diabolik
