Review of The Blonde Connection

Although it amounts to little more than a convoluted, modern-day, Italian murder/mystery, director Harald Philipp's "Death Knocks Twice" reminded me more of a decadent Gothic chiller about a mentally ill artist who paints women and then strangles them. The first murder occurs as the film unfolds at night at a scenic beach resort where Francesco Villaverde (a youthful Fabio Testi of "The Big Racket") strangles a pretty blonde, Lois Simmons (Femi Benussi of "Bloody Pit of Horror") and leaves her to lie in the surf. If things weren't bad enough, two innocent bystanders watch in dread as Francesco is kissing Lois one moment and then squeezing the life out of her with his bare hands. Both spectators work for the resort motel. A formally dressed gentleman in his thirties, Amato Locatelli (Riccardo Garrone of "La Dolce Vita") winds up stealing Lois' expensive necklace, while a grubby handyman, Riccardo Beni (Mario Brega of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"), witnesses the murderous act without intervening. Later, Beni's supervisors at the resort question him about what he saw. They wind up roughing him up, knocking him down, and generally making him cower like a frightened cat. Mind you, Brega gives an impressive performance as a helpless bystander. Clearly, this is not the typical role that Brega was known for in his Spaghetti westerns, where he was often a cyclone himself. The co-owners of the hotel hire a private eyes, Bob Martin (Dean Reed of "Adios, Sabata!") to investigate the murder and perhaps even recover the stolen necklace. Sergio Garrone co-scripted "Death Knocks Twice" with Philipp and Mario di Nardo and they actually drew Max Pierre Schaeffer's novel for inspiration. Mind you, there is no shortage of action in this thriller and the writers salt this yarn with more than enough red herrings as well as gorgeous gals, including statuesque Hélène Chanel and busty Anita Ekberg. Bob Martin's partner Pepe Mangano is played by "Hogan's Heroes" actor Leon Askin, who played German General Burkhalter, while the motel is managed by actor Werner Peters, who played a German general in "Battle of the Bulge." Definitely above-average, "Death Knocks Twice" also features hook-nosed actor Adolfo Celi, who complicated James Bond's life in "Thunderball."