Mirella Banti Movies
Originally issued under the title Appuntamento in nero, this 1990 post-noir thriller pays homage to classic Italian giallos. Andy J. Forest stars as British diplomat John, married to the gorgeous ex-model Angela (Mirella Banti) but saddled with a yen for mistress Eva (Mary Lindstrom). Desperate to be rid of Angela forever (and not particularly interested in a simple divorce), the couple scheme to rub Angela out, but the plans go terribly awry and John himself winds up marked for death. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- 1984
Spread too thin, with a neutral stance on its many protagonists, this political drama about terrorists active in Italy delivers too mild a message to make much of an effect. Based on a book by Luce D'Eramo, the three-hour story is about leftists who renounce guerrilla tactics and turn to common robberies instead while maintaining bourgeois and/or mainstream lifestyles as doctors, secretaries, and other workers. Their objective is to raise money for future guerrilla activities. The central group manages to pull off three big robberies in the same neighborhood within 30 minutes of each other -- and the chase is on. Most viewers will be rooting for the terrorists disguised as criminals at this point. Unfortunately, the rest of the film is more of a pedantic exercise on the effects of their actions, and includes courtroom proceedings that are not as interesting as the crime sequences. The end result makes law and order look boring. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patrick Bauchau, Antonella Murgia, (more)
- 1983
Although the title is the same, this film is not related to the 1953 White Fire by John Gilling, except for their mutual interest in diamonds. Beau (Robert Ginty) and Ingrid (Belinda Mayne) are siblings who were raised by Sam (Jess Hahn) after they were orphaned while very young. Now all three are involved in smuggling diamonds, a successful enterprise thanks to a security officer at the mines who is willing to look the other way for a price. Even though all three are ostensibly after a famous 2,000 carat diamond known as White Fire, the plot suddenly flip flops, and Ingrid is killed. Her brother meets a woman who agrees to undergo plastic surgery and replace Ingrid -- and lo and behold, she is converted into Ingrid's twin, and their covert diamond business can continue. In the third or fourth plot detour, Beau then falls in love with his sister's look-alike, and shades of incest are not so subtly cast over their liaison. Eventually, the different threads weave their way to an inevitable ending. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Ginty, Fred Williamson, (more)
Dario Argento leaves a distinct and bloody impression with this Italian horror film that took the slasher genre to graphic new limits at the time of its release. Novelist Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa) jets into Rome to promote his new book. Simultaneously, a killer obsessed with Neal begins a brutal series of murders that are followed by cryptic notes to the author. Inspector Germani (Giuliano Gemma) questions Neal, who then begins his own investigation into the bizarre case with the help of his assistant, Anne (Daria Nicolodi), and local youth Gianni (Christian Borromeo). Neal and Gianni follow leads to the home of a TV talk-show host (John Steiner), who is axed to death in front of Gianni while Neal is knocked unconscious. As they close in on the killer, flashbacks show the killer's murderous beginnings and an obsession with red shoes. Meanwhile, Neal's publicist, Bullmer (John Saxon), is revealed to be having an affair with the author's ex-lover, Jane (Veronica Lario), making them both potential suspects. Inspector Germani insists that Neal leave town, but even when he does, the killer strikes again, knifing Bullmer in broad daylight. At the same time, Gianni returns to the home of the dead talk-show host and recalls an important detail about the murder. However, he is strangled before he can tell anyone. At her apartment, Jane is brutally slain just as Inspector Germani arrives to discover the murderer's identity, along with the shocking, twist-filled truth behind the entire case. ~ Patrick Legare, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anthony Franciosa, John Saxon, (more)
