Cheaply made but interesting (if cliched and predictable), this English/Italian film noir features Dennis O'Keefe as an American car manufacturer in Italy brought into the drama world of Sophia Loren/Gina Lollobrigida lookalike Mara Lane and lives to regret it. She romances him after making a car purchase for her boss, and when her older employer is found dead in her apartment, he agrees to get rid of the body for her. But getting rid of a heavy corpse isn't easy, especially when you're distracted by friends, security guards at your place of business and a jealous estranged husband of the alluring Lane. Another murder takes place, causing O'Keefe to be questioned, and leading to traps that would drive a man to murder.
Yes, this plot is convoluted, and the less you know, the easier it is to follow. Lane is alluring and gives many dimensions to the character, but perhaps not earthy enough to fully convince as an Italian sex goddess. O'Keefe is the usual dumb American middle aged male (although more virile than most cast in these often re-utilized plots) and Rossano Brazzi dangerously sexy as the estranged hubby. There's some decent use of location footage and a few clever moments, but it allows itself to wrap up too easily, not believing in the intelligence of its audience who will probably figure out early on exactly what's in the kind of it's antagonist and want to slap some sense into the dumb but too distracted by sex O'Keefe who should know better.
Yes, this plot is convoluted, and the less you know, the easier it is to follow. Lane is alluring and gives many dimensions to the character, but perhaps not earthy enough to fully convince as an Italian sex goddess. O'Keefe is the usual dumb American middle aged male (although more virile than most cast in these often re-utilized plots) and Rossano Brazzi dangerously sexy as the estranged hubby. There's some decent use of location footage and a few clever moments, but it allows itself to wrap up too easily, not believing in the intelligence of its audience who will probably figure out early on exactly what's in the kind of it's antagonist and want to slap some sense into the dumb but too distracted by sex O'Keefe who should know better.
