Luciano Ercoli is famous for making three Giallo films; two of which are among the best that the genre has to offer, and along with The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion, Death Walks on High Heels is among the best of the director's films. It would be fair to level criticism at this film, as it is slightly overlong and I guessed most of the major points before they happened; but that doesn't change the fact that this is a fun film and well worth seeing. One common element of the Giallo is a convoluted plot - and this film delights in featuring one of the most convoluted of the whole genre. The story takes in a number of characters, all fuelled by desires of lust, revenge and/or greed. The plot picks up after the attack on Nicole Rochard. The attack seems to have something to do with a stash of diamonds, but when questioned; she appears to know nothing about them. She decides to travel to England along with an eye doctor, and gets followed by her French boyfriend; a man that she believes may be the attacker. They move to a quaint English seaside village, where all appears to be safe...
Luciano Ercoli does a good job of setting the scene for this film, and the English village at the centre of the story provides a nice tranquil location for a murder fuelled film like this one. The vast amount of characters involved do bring the film down a little bit, but they also ensure that there's always something going on; and most would agree that it's better to have an overcomplicated plot than an underdeveloped one. Unfortunately, however, there isn't a great deal of gore in the film. The ensemble cast do well, and once again Ercoli's then spouse Susan Scott heads the cast. Scott does well at delivering the seductive and sultry lead performance that we're used to from her; although it's unfortunate that she doesn't get a great deal of screen time. The rest of the cast is good also, with Ercoli's other frequent collaborator Simón Andreu giving the best performance of the support. It's fairly easy to get confused during this film, but unlike many other Giallo's, at least almost everything here makes sense by the end. Ercoli tops the film off with a strong ending that sees all the characters get their comeuppance, and overall; this is a strong film and comes highly recommended!
Luciano Ercoli does a good job of setting the scene for this film, and the English village at the centre of the story provides a nice tranquil location for a murder fuelled film like this one. The vast amount of characters involved do bring the film down a little bit, but they also ensure that there's always something going on; and most would agree that it's better to have an overcomplicated plot than an underdeveloped one. Unfortunately, however, there isn't a great deal of gore in the film. The ensemble cast do well, and once again Ercoli's then spouse Susan Scott heads the cast. Scott does well at delivering the seductive and sultry lead performance that we're used to from her; although it's unfortunate that she doesn't get a great deal of screen time. The rest of the cast is good also, with Ercoli's other frequent collaborator Simón Andreu giving the best performance of the support. It's fairly easy to get confused during this film, but unlike many other Giallo's, at least almost everything here makes sense by the end. Ercoli tops the film off with a strong ending that sees all the characters get their comeuppance, and overall; this is a strong film and comes highly recommended!