Danger: Diabolik  (1968)

Rating: NR

Distributor: Paramount Home Entertainment

Release Date: June 14, 2005
Review posted: June 26, 2005

Reviewed by Elena Encarnación

SYNOPSIS

The psychedelic 60's are in full force in this live action adaptation of the popular Italian comic strip "Diabolik".  Diabolik, an antihero if there ever was one, delights in making fools of the police force, while stealing jewelry, currency shipments, and a twenty-ton gold ingot, for seemingly no better reason than, he can.  And when he's not busy evading Inspector Ginko, who is forever cold on his trail, he is engaged in lascivious escapades with his girlfriend Eva Kant.

CRITIQUE

Danger: Diabolik, from Barbarella producer Dino de Laurentiis, is brilliant, yet insipid.  It is edgy, yet predictable.  It is stylish, yet banal.  It is a landmark film of vexing proportion.  It is a hideously glorious mess.

The film opens as we watch the police prepare to transport $10 million, disguised as limousine drivers, in order to thwart any attempts at theft.  From the first frame, director Mario Bava's photographic genius is apparent.  Bava, who has been referred to as the Italian Hitchcock, uses innovative shots and wide angles, giving depth to the drab environment of government buildings and its officials in the first scene, and creating the illusion of a comic book drawing that has leapt off the page into a tangible existence.  The impeccable score by Ennio Morricone, which is delightful, sensual, and sinister, also greets us in the opening scene, falsely promising a cinematic gem, that the remainder of the film is unable to deliver.

We first meet Diabolik (John Phillip Law) clad in a black leather body suit that only reveals his menacing eyes, just after he has intercepted the currency shipment by disorienting police in a cloud of smoke, outwitting them once again.  He leads them on a high speed chase that starts in a motor boat and takes over into his signature black Jaguar.  The entire sequence is dull and uninspired until his girlfriend Eva Kant (Marisa Mell) arrives wearing a revealing, flimsy pink dress, and helps him elude the police.

Mell, an Austrian cult siren, smolders on screen from her initial arrival.  Her presence is undeniable.  However, when she begins to speak she is nothing more than a vapid vixen.  Law's performance is even blander, with the exception of his fiendish gaze, complete with an arch of the eyebrow and demonic laugh. 

One of the best sequences in the film, is when, after slipping away from the police, Diabolik and Eva return to their lair.  They live underground in a labyrinth of epic grandeur.  They enter through a secret portal driving their Jag deeper and deeper through a cavernous maze, with textures that range from jagged to sensual, colors that range from murky to vibrant, as Morricone's suggestive score plays, accompanied by an exotic sitar that perfectly compliments the seductive ambience.

Meanwhile, the government officials try to surmise how Diabolik will use his newfound fortune.  Leading us into the most provocative scene in the film, the obsessed Inspector Ginko (Michel Piccoli), interjects that the villain will employ the cash in "a way no mind but his could imagine."  The following scene cuts to the bedroom of Diabolik and Eva and their large white revolving bed, covered with piles of dollar bills.  The camera pulls in close as the bed begins spinning, when suddenly, a female legs extends up disrupting the blanket of cash to expose the naked bodies of Eva and Diabolik making love.  Once again, the camera angles Bava uses and the score of Morricone make this scene unforgettable; and if not for the complete lack of chemistry between Law and Mell, this could be one of the best sex scenes in all of film history.

Throughout the film, the set design is always inventive and fresh.  The major problem of this film is the screenplay and character development, which are atrociously inconsistent and flawed.  First, the police force is so inept that the pursuits are completely void of suspense.  Second, other than the fact that they are totally devoted to each other, the audience never gets to know anything about the two main characters, and inconsistencies in the script make it ambiguous as to what their motivations are.  For example, Eva seems apprehensive about her lover's "field of work" when after frolicking naked in their stolen cash, Eva slips Diabolik a sleeping pill, because she knows that he tends to get restless when he is not sleeping.  Then later, she hints to him that she would like him to steal an emerald necklace for her.  Diabolik's motives are even more contradictory.  Throughout the entire film his inspiration toward a life of crime seems to stem only from his and Eva's interests and amusements.  Then in a move that is completely out of character he blows up several government financial buildings as a protest to the "bad use to which the government has put the people's money."  However, he shows little interest in sharing the money he steals from the government and the rich with the people.

While Diabolik does stand apart from all other comic strip super heroes of his time because of his disregard for establishment and willingness to kill innocent bystanders, he is quite unimaginative.  Other than the uncanny ability to know exactly what the police will do before even they do, and the ability to remember his girlfriend's birthday, Diabolik has no super powers.  He is just a mere mortal with bad taste in work clothes.  Even some of his methods of outsmarting the police are so basic and fundamental, I came to the conclusion that Diabolik would have been better suited to make a guest appearance on an episode of "Scooby-Doo" rather than star in a feature length motion picture.

THE VIDEO

Danger: Diabolik is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen format.  The Technicolor photography is vibrant and is executed fabulously.  Overall the picture is clean and free of scratches.

THE AUDIO

The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital English Mono.  The sound quality is consistent throughout the film, and all the dialogue is crisp and clear.

THE EXTRAS

Commentary By Actor John Phillip Law and Tim Lucas, Biographer of Director Mario Bava - This commentary consists solely of a dialogue between Lucas and Law played over the soundtrack as the entire movie is presented and the two discuss every scene.  However, they never address any of the flaws, but rather speak of Danger: Diabolik as if it were one of the best films of its genre, and thus diminishing their credibility.  Their in depth conversation on a film that is inherently shallow soon becomes tedious, and only true fans of the film would find what they have to say interesting.

Danger: Diabolik - From Fumetti to Film - This commentary discusses the history of Diabolik, from Italian comic strip nihilist, to movie character, and the relevance he has today.  The insight of Stephen R. Bissette, a writer and cartoonist, Adam Yauch from the Beastie Boys, Dino de Laurentiis and Ennio Morricone lends credibility to the film.

Music Video - "Body Movin" - The Beastie Boys, with Optional Commentary by Adam Yauch - The Beastie Boys have fun, paying homage to Danger: Diabolik, reenacting some scenes, while inserting some shots directly from the film.  The video is hilarious, but the optional commentary does little to enhance the experience.

Teaser Trailer - "He robs from the rich to give to the girls" the trailer appropriately summarizes, while showcasing the great score by Morricone.

Theatrical Trailer - It follows the same format as the teaser trailer but adds a few more shots.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The celebration of nihilism and a great scene in a nightclub depicting a narcotic haze, give this film an edginess that was new to its time.  However, unless you are a diehard fan of the director or comic strip film adaptations, the strengths of this film do not outweigh its weaknesses.

VERDICT: ONLY FOR DIE-HARD FANS - RENT IT

Home | Back to Top