WHO SAW HER DIE?

George Lazenby

WHO SAW HER DIE? (aka Chi l'ha vista morire/1972). Director: Aldo Lado. 

Sculptor Franco Serpieri (George Lazenby) and his estranged wife, Elizabeth (Anita Strindberg of The Case of the Scorpion's Tail), are horrified when their young daughter, Roberta (Nicoletta Elmi) is the latest victim of a deranged child murderer. Meanwhile the unknown killer, who may or may not be female, begins obliterating anyone who knows the truth about his or her identity. As the body count rises, Franco begins to eye a number of suspects, including wealthy Serafian (Adolfo Celi of Ten Little Indians), his secretary and mistress Ginevra (Dominique Boschero of Secret Agent Fireball), her lover Philip (Peter Chatel), and others. It is no surprise when the maniac then targets Franco and his wife ... 

Anita Strindberg

George Lazenby had starred as James Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service three years earlier, but it was his decision not to do any more 007 adventures, a decision he apparently regretted later on. Initially he is unrecognizable with his mustache and long hair, but he is also quite skinny, having lost a lot of weight since playing Bond. As most of the cast are dubbed in this it's impossible to truly judge the acting, but everyone seems credible and effective. Celi, of course, was the villain in Thunderball with Sean Connery. 

Adolfo Celi

Who Saw Her Die? has a very interesting and absorbing screenplay, although perhaps it's more convoluted and confusing than it needs to be. Filmed almost entirely in Venice, it benefits from great location shooting. Ennio Morricone's musical score consists of children's choruses, two of which are quite pretty, but the chorus he uses for murder sequences and the like quickly becomes intensely irritating. Despite its disjointed quality, Who Saw Her Die?  is suspenseful, and the identity of the killer may come as a surprise (although there's hardly anyone left at the end). 

Verdict: Intriguing giallo film with a very interesting cast. **3/4. 

SECRET AGENT FIREBALL

Richard Harrison as agent Bob Fleming

SECRET AGENT FIREBALL (aka Le spie uccidono a Beirut/1965).  Director: Luciano Martino (Martin Donan)

American agent Bob Fleming (Richard Harrison) is assigned to locate a missing scientist before the Russians do. His boss gives him "unlimited expenses and permission to kill." When the scientist is murdered, Fleming must find a piece of microfilm that has a formula for the H bomb on it, and goes after the dead man's niece, Liz (Dominique Boschero), to see if she knows anything. Unfortunately, sinister Soviet agents have the same idea, and Fleming is forced to rescue the young lady more than once. 

Harrison and Dominique Boschero

This Italian Eurospy movie is typical of the genre, with a horny and ruthless hero, sadistic spies, a femme fatale, and a variety of colorful locations. Fleming is certainly not chivalrous, however. When he and another, older woman are kidnapped at one point, he escapes from the car they are in and just leaves her behind to be murdered! Although there is some globe-hopping, most of the action takes place in Beirut.

Richard Harrison

One spy uses a pipe that contains a lethal dart, used to kill the aforementioned scientist and others. A police car that suddenly turns into a boat reminds one of a sequence in the later Moonraker. There is a knife fight with the two participants tied together with a rope, and two lady wrestlers are the entertainment in a nightclub. Fleming is assisted by Lepetit (Alcide Borik), an alleged taxi driver who has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Harrison makes a good-looking super-spy and handles both love scenes and fist fights with aplomb. He played Bob Fleming in a later film as well. 

Verdict: Not to be confused with a classy James Bond flick. **1/4.