The giallo was big business in Italy in the early 70’s. Yeah, it got its start in the 60’s, but it seems once Argento took flight with his Bird with the Crystal Plumage the genre really boomed. Hundreds of the films were made just in the 3-4 years after Bird…, and while not everyone took the direct black gloved killer template of that film, it’s influence was undeniable.
Other films like one of this month’s recent Mondo Macabro releases the Designated Victim, took less influence from Argento, but were certainly inspired by Hitchcock, whom Argento is often-compared to. In this case The Designated Victim takes its primary influence from Hitch’s 1951 masterpiece Strangers on a Train.
Designated Victim follows Stefano played by the iconic Tomas Milian. Stefano is an a difficult relationship with his wife, so spends time away with his mistress. On one of these excursions he meets Count Matteo Tiepolo, a rich recluse. After the first meeting they meet multiple times with each encounter getting darker, until Matteo suggest the pair kill the person who is ruining each of their lives. In Matteo’s case it is his brother, and Stefano’s wife. Stefano blows off the offer, but when Matteo goes through with it, and collects evidence to blackmail Stefano, he is now forced to commit a murder he was unwilling to do.
Having been familiar with the original Hitchcock I knew the main beats of the story going into the film. That being said this was a tight suspenseful affair with not a wasted minute during its runtime. The pair of performances by Milian and Pierre Clementi who plays Matteo are especially engaging as Matteo seems to one-up Stefano at every corner. The third act of the film especially is a tight suspenseful of experience which is guaranteed to have viewers on the edge of their proverbial seat.
Mondo Macabro presents the film in a 4k scanned 1080p transfer that looks absolutely marvelous. There is minimal damage from the source, excellent detail, colors look natural and are well reproduced. There are 2 viewing options the original cut, and a 4 minute longer extended version padded out with moments cut in from a VHS SD source. Audio is presented with 2 LPCM tracks in Italian and English, both sound excellent, clear, and crisp. Extras include a commentary track featuring Rachel and Peter from the Fragments of Fear podcast. We also get an interview with Aldo Lado in regards to his contributions for the film. There is also an interview with the son of actor Pierre Clementi, a trailer, and in the LE a 16 page booklet of liner notes. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.