The Strangler

The Strangler is a dull and lackluster film that is saved by the atmosphere and direction. The story of the film is easily the most disappointing aspect of the film. The pacing has issues and it can never settle on a character to follow and chooses to follow many. Because of that choice, I’m never able to become invested in any of the characters. I like the general ideas of the character development, but it never was executed the best. Plus the previous issue of not caring about the characters doesn’t help. The saving grace of this film is the acting of Jacques Perrin and the atmosphere. The film has this unique vibe going for the film which makes the film a bearable watch. Overall, The Strangler did not resonate with me at all. It has its positive elements, but its poor story and (mostly) uninteresting characters make this an okay watch.

The Strangler is a dull and lackluster film that is saved by the atmosphere and direction. The story of the film is easily the most disappointing aspect of the film. The pacing has issues and it can never settle on a character to follow and chooses to follow many. Because of that choice, I’m never able to become invested in any of the characters. I like the general ideas of the character development, but it never was executed the best. Plus the previous issue of not caring about the characters doesn’t help. The saving grace of this film is the acting of Jacques Perrin and the atmosphere. The film has this unique vibe going for the film which makes the film a bearable watch. Overall, The Strangler did not resonate with me at all. It has its positive elements, but its poor story and (mostly) uninteresting characters make this an okay watch.

Surprised beyond my initial expectations. Goes past a standard serial killer plot, but instead weaves in complex characters and motivations. Some really compelling dynamics between characters that leads to a layered movie that I definitely need to rewatch

Surprised beyond my initial expectations. Goes past a standard serial killer plot, but instead weaves in complex characters and motivations. Some really compelling dynamics between characters that leads to a layered movie that I definitely need to rewatch

“*o night, conceal my pain, caused by being nothing, and being alive.”
*
this feels like such an incomplete film, while also having moments that feel incredibly put together. it’s kind of strange that the best moments in this film are the first ten minutes or so and then a really effective scene near the end where main character émile has a panic attack where he’s either reliving moments from a very traumatic moment in his childhood or is imagining all the evils you might encounter on the streets late at night. the score in this scene is also super effective because it feels like this almost carnival-like scene and everything just feels so anxiety inducing.

the story overall in this is actually a really interesting take on early giallo and though there’s not a lot of violence, it follows the formula super well. it’s strange because i liked all the characters we meet, and i thought they were all individually developed very well, but they never really mesh together, any of them. they all are pushed together to progress the story and they never feel like they have any connection to one another.

the development of the characters with one another is so disjointed that when the movie ends, you feel like you’re still missing pieces even though it’s pretty clear cut how the film ends. it just feels irregular and was a major reason i couldn’t enjoy the film as much as i wanted. i was also confused how none of the women in the film excepts for the escorts have any sense or urgency. it sends a very mixed message that maybe these women really did want to be killed, and i feel like that was very odd too. overall an enjoyable movie though!

“*o night, conceal my pain, caused by being nothing, and being alive.”
*
this feels like such an incomplete film, while also having moments that feel incredibly put together. it’s kind of strange that the best moments in this film are the first ten minutes or so and then a really effective scene near the end where main character émile has a panic attack where he’s either reliving moments from a very traumatic moment in his childhood or is imagining all the evils you might encounter on the streets late at night. the score in this scene is also super effective because it feels like this almost carnival-like scene and everything just feels so anxiety inducing.

the story overall in this is actually a really interesting take on early giallo and though there’s not a lot of violence, it follows the formula super well. it’s strange because i liked all the characters we meet, and i thought they were all individually developed very well, but they never really mesh together, any of them. they all are pushed together to progress the story and they never feel like they have any connection to one another.

the development of the characters with one another is so disjointed that when the movie ends, you feel like you’re still missing pieces even though it’s pretty clear cut how the film ends. it just feels irregular and was a major reason i couldn’t enjoy the film as much as i wanted. i was also confused how none of the women in the film excepts for the escorts have any sense or urgency. it sends a very mixed message that maybe these women really did want to be killed, and i feel like that was very odd too. overall an enjoyable movie though!

Fantastic low-key giallo, much quieter and more meditative than is typical for the genre, genuinely interesting characters and story that feels very French in how melancholic and openly philosophical it gets.

Fantastic low-key giallo, much quieter and more meditative than is typical for the genre, genuinely interesting characters and story that feels very French in how melancholic and openly philosophical it gets.