冰刀

This ;*((early 70(%'s giallo $by Umberto Lenz:!
i]( is% +- certainly a -mong the best in his f.ilmography and also in the whole genr e$. Pe_$rsonally I thi%!*nk Lenzi's best f[,ilms $[are); ]th $e@@ :[$$funny car$`toon-turned#??-film Kriminal, the ,`styl_?ish/?! g]]iallo S
eve=]_n Blood-Stained Orchids, t_^]+he *[?explosive Napoli violenta an!d this. `\#]In th=#e ei!ghties he did plenty%; +*]/of . f+ ilm tra#==sh in form of Eaten Alive, H ?itcher i@(_n the Dar#k or Blac)k Dem!.on+,s, all $`of whi%ch ar.e[ r_@(ippi/ng som-eth^_i,;ng`,; off an(dor v@er$y# d(=u=ll:^ and slow moving. Kn$:i=fe _
of Ice came when the giallo bo@.om
: was at it@/
s =h; ) o
ttest and the )*result is convincing.　 　[@Techn()icall+#y the f)ilm is+;) 
sup$erb ,// containin\##g great c?)inematog`:r*aph;[y in
th#e b+_eginning when ^we learn about the m_`ai=]!n cha
= ?ract=[e
**r's trauma(,! tow*a+rds ]train-s. Fr-om th_is[ point on, L) enzi show,[$%s us hi[s abilit y,^( to -benefit th)e widescreen and$@, for \exa@^(mple,;!: the bicycle rid e nea##r the forest?(*, is#+\# gen\/uinely be;#a?@utif )u`l! This s// cen_e als`o shows Le,:nzi's ability to build s@[u@]s== %pense, v*)[er,
y slowly but meaningfully. A; ;fter@(@ all,
- there aren%+'t s ^]o man]+y murder?,s in th+]e whole ( ?fi\]lm$_, only the =^suspe $=nse circulating aro:*und the^ m$u:,
rderer's) ident;=it
.,y.　　One$*!: suspec%?``t i]@s $* a devil,? worshi(pp?:=er which !_:brings new a: spect#s to the mystery !. Since t?+=he \%`=final scen!^e takes p;lace ^- *in a chu`@/rc$.()h, one can :,wo#n@.d`(=er i^f Lenzi w anted to comment on somethi*-ng, maybe the @;hypoc^ritical m_-ora+le _(]of church and s%uperstition. The main ch#;[aracter* (Ca): rrol Ba;+ke+)r) is m=_:ute
$ which demands a lot f+]#[rom her fac%;]@e an-d :[ eyes. The actress w@ )or:k)s -`very well, gi/vi*[n@(g  us a ;believable performanc$ e $circulati ng a*^round th#e emotion%s of fear and menta^-l pain. The other actors _,\are \g)oo\!#d! , too. The 
;fin;ally, h^^owever, ma(y/ n[+ot give !)too positive a sig/ !ht ab;ou/-t f .em^*ale)# sex:, sin#!!;ce t :hey all ar/e expressed !rat?*her negati:%vely in the[;# film, one % way or another _;
. ?Still t([his is @easil)y amon#^g the /m #ost noteworthy in!_ t)he genre, no+t as^_= bloody as t.^.he Argento films+#$, fo:r example, but equally s%!$uspenseful an =d visually also intere+^sting.