Customer Reviews

Human Cobras

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This movie is a cool giallo that is well worth watching for mystery and crime buffs. Unfortunately Mya which could track down better prints, they exist, just check out sites like trash online, where they find better prints out and use theirs! please if possible. This print is straight from a pan and scanned vhs copy it has many lines and artifacts and is in very poor shape. I had hope that mya was the next no shame (rip) a company that would hunt down great prints and even restore movies but that's not the case here. maybe this is all that remains of this movie but I don't believe so after all take 'death carries a cane" you can get a cheap dvd for that , that looks really bad or the out of print german hardbox that had a great print. So somewhere out there must have existed a great widescreen edition of this movie! track em down! use some online guy whose cleaned them up if needed. I know that trash online has great copies of many giallos that looked horrible on vhs, especially 'the etruscan kills again" and ''the killer reserved nine seats" two of the best giallos ever! So if you love giallos and italian horror mysteries then you might want this one and just be glad you have it but you do have a terrible print that is not widescreen. The story is different in that travels on to africa! It isn't a traditional black gloved killer thriller which are the best giallos in my book but it's still a decent movie. If only mya could clean up or use sources from whereever that is in much better shape would help alot. Italian cinema is truly some of the most enjoyable out there by any standards. Now if only we can get dvd's up to that standard.

[HUMAN COBRAS -(1971)- Fullscreen - Italian w/ English subtitles] First, this film is NOT a gaillo at all, it's more of a European crime drama, a genre for the most part popular thanks to directors like Fernando Di Leo, Sergio Martino and Umberto Lenzi, although this one may not be on quite the same qualitative level. True, it's co-written by Ernesto Gastaldi, who wrote some great scripts in both gaillo and crime genres, but this one isn't an example of his better work in either. None of the elements of a traditional gaillo are present - the mysterious black-gloved killer, the fetishistic killings and/or psychosexual aberrations, the abundant and occasionally gratuitous nudity, etc. - all noticeably absent here, in spite of the presence of the exquisite and exotic Erika Blanc. Truth be told (for me anyway), to have both Erika and Janine Reynaud in the same flick and seeing neither undraped was the true crime involved here...

In spite of these criticisms, this isn't a bad film at all, but it's not a very good one either. It's pedestrian in every way, yet manages to entertain on a small scale, just don't set your hopes up too high. Adding to my frustration is my now patented complaint about MYA Communications print quality at the outrageous prices asked for their films - I've reviewed around two dozen, seen another half dozen, and the ones that are of high quality I could count on one hand. At least this one's in Italian w/ subs, a bad dubbing job would have made this impossible to endure. But Erika Blanc's numerous assets, beauty, and acting are on display, salvaging what would otherwise be a menial movie to one as jaded as I. And, thankfully, the soundtrack by Stelvio Cipriani adds much to the low-rent scenes that would have otherwise dragged even more (and yes, fellow-reviewer William, that IS the bassline to 'Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida' we hear in the third act!).

If you're a fan of Euro crime dramas, check this one out, assuming you've already seen Di Leo's, Martino's and Lenzi's work first and are hankering for more. For giallo fans, I'd find this hard to recommend unless you're a completist, of which I am one. A 3 1/2 star flick suffering from a poor print and fairly weak ending (for me) - 'Human Cobras' hasn't got much bite.

What would you do if you were a gangster who wanted to quit the business and found out your twin brother was murdered by your best friends in the business? Euro actor Georgio Ardisson playing dual roles as both brothers has that problem and its the crux of the plot in this excellent Italian thriller from the early Seventies. Not only do you have a great script by horror fave Ernesto Gastaldi and Luciano Martino, you have great Euro actors peppered throughout: the stunningly beautiful Erica Blanc as the brothers mistress who may know more than she knows, the wonderfully slimy Alberto De Mendoza who may or may not be the best of friends and superb cameos by Luciano Pigozzi and the beautiful Janine Reynaud as a tragic diversion in the affair. The films title lists Albert J. Walker as director but its really a pseudonym for Adalberto Albertini who conducts the proceedings in stylishly, gritty fashion. From the streets of New York to the jungles of Nairobi, Ardisson is relentless, never resting till he finds his brothers murderer. Again, the DVD cover may come off as a Giallo but it is a gritty Seventies Italian thriller with a great music score by Stelvio Cipriani (do I hear traces of 'IN-A GADDA-DA-VIDA in the mix?)and more red herrings than you can shake a linguini at. The only flaw is the full screen transfer, its in Italian with English Subtitles but it seesaws from brilliant to faded. Still, you can't quibble with this release of this rare title which is a must for every fan of the golden age of Italian Cinema with all of the actors at the peak of their art. They can't make them like this anymore.

This long out of print Italian giallo film is finally being properly released on dvd!!! A must for giallo fans and their collection!!!!!!!!!!!