The Suspicious Death Of A Minor Blu-ray+DVD

With the possible exception of fellow icon Lucio Fulci, maestro Martino is, perhaps, one of the more versatile Italian genre directors, frequently displaying a mercurial talent in his bravura and delightfully eclectic canon of sublime, sin-drenched cinema, and one of the finer examples of his seemingly effortless mutability is the Poliziotteschi /Giallo hybrid 'The Suspicious Death of a Minor' which tells a darkly fascinating tale of moral depravity, political corruption, all with Martino's signature flair for the lurid set piece and featuring yet another wonderfully assured, charismatic performance by the excellent Claudio Cassinelli. Co-written by Poliziotteschi /Giallo illuminatus Ernesto Gastaldi it should come as little surprise that this excitingly shot, decidedly sleazy blend of sleek, knife-flashing Gialli and gripping thick-eared Poliziotteschi proves so immersive an experience. The nefarious twists and turns of a fine plot darkly interlace a more standard kidnapping trope with a far more unsavoury narrative of human trafficking, political duplicity and the callous murder of young women that so galvanizes the passions of dogged, seemingly indomitable undercover cop Paolo Germi, who takes on this murky case with all the pyrotechnical zeal of Maurizio Merli or Franco Nero. If you might excuse the obvious pun, but Martino's fabulously tense, razor-edged thriller is a minor classic, being especially well-balanced, the more lurid elements, zesty, free-wheeling action and the impassioned dramatic developments are fascinatingly intertwined, working as both a political thriller and hard-boiled Gialli. I genuinely don't feel I can praise Cassinelli's full-blooded performance, he is quite mesmeric in the handsome guise of twin-fisted, morally upright, deliciously sardonic Paolo Germi. 'Morte Sospetta Di Una Minorenne' is nigh on flawless and the exquisite soundtrack by Luciano Michelini is a sonically splendiferous affair, an altogether rousing, spine tingling feast for the soul!