Murder à la Mod

this was a rough sit. i appreciate the ambition and early de palma experimentation, but it mostly feels unfocused and amateurish. the style is there in flashes, yet the story and pacing are a slog.

this was a rough sit. i appreciate the ambition and early de palma experimentation, but it mostly feels unfocused and amateurish. the style is there in flashes, yet the story and pacing are a slog.

An interesting experimental directorial debut from one of my all time favorite directors, Brian De Palma. I saw this was on my Criterion 4k release of Blow Out and decided to check it out, and it was a trip. Definitely a De Palma product, with its violence and voyeurism. There’s many scenes reminiscent of shots in his other films, but the story and the way this was shot felt like De Palma was very much influenced by Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom, which is a thriller I absolutely recommend.

While there’s a lot more to dislike in this film, there’s one very well done suspenseful scene, that reminded me of the stalking scene in De Palma’s Body Double. But the weird quirkiness of the character, Otto (William Finley), mixed with the music and its slapstick comedy, it took away from the fact that this is supposed to be a hidden killer thriller. I wouldn’t really recommend watching this film unless you’re a big fan of De Palma’s work and want to finish his filmography.

Featured Lists:
Brian De Palma Ranked

An interesting experimental directorial debut from one of my all time favorite directors, Brian De Palma. I saw this was on my Criterion 4k release of Blow Out and decided to check it out, and it was a trip. Definitely a De Palma product, with its violence and voyeurism. There’s many scenes reminiscent of shots in his other films, but the story and the way this was shot felt like De Palma was very much influenced by Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom, which is a thriller I absolutely recommend.

While there’s a lot more to dislike in this film, there’s one very well done suspenseful scene, that reminded me of the stalking scene in De Palma’s Body Double. But the weird quirkiness of the character, Otto (William Finley), mixed with the music and its slapstick comedy, it took away from the fact that this is supposed to be a hidden killer thriller. I wouldn’t really recommend watching this film unless you’re a big fan of De Palma’s work and want to finish his filmography.

Featured Lists:
Brian De Palma Ranked

gotta start somewhere

gotta start somewhere

De Palma was always De Palma huh

De Palma was always De Palma huh

De Palma was always De Palma huh

De Palma was always De Palma huh