Movie Review Dark Glasses (2022)
Dark glasses, 2022.
Co-written and directed by Dario Argento. With Ilenia Pastorelli, Asia Argento, Andrea Herpelli and Mario Pirello.
SYNTAX:
Diana, a young woman who has lost her sight, finds a leader in a Chinese boy named Chin. Together they must hunt down a dangerous killer in the darkness of Italy.
You'd be forgiven for implying that Maestro Dario Argento's film career was summarily ended with the release of Dracula 3D in 2012. A decade later, however, he's finally back with a new project — a return to a comfortable familiarity with the sting of the project he started. worked two decades ago.
While Sunglasses is pretty much a remix of the director's better and more innovative earlier work, it's still great to see the director return in a mode that proves he still has the ambition to create an atmospheric and entertaining film. lack of imagination.
In a plot that will seem familiar to anyone familiar with Argento or Giallo, the story, co-written with regular collaborator Franco Ferrini, begins in Rome where three high-class prostitutes have been strangled with cello strings. Next on the list of killers is prostitute Diana (Ileni Pastorelli), who one night while fleeing a hitman is badly injured in a car accident, causing her to lose her sight. To make matters worse, an accident leaves Chinese orphan boy Chin (Andrea Zhang) in a coma and a guilt-ridden Diana soon clings to him as a ghostly killer continues to haunt her.
It's a simple setup and hardly a new foundation for Argent, but it's pretty clear from the abrupt opening sequence that the energy and slapstick missing from the director's latest work have returned. While anyone craving a feast of blood might be a little disappointed with what's on offer here - blood and blood are quite different actually - Argento insists he's still clinging to his fondness for blood. in creativity.
As befits the genre and Argento himself, Sunglasses frantically oscillates between seriousness and silliness; It wouldn't be entirely fair to call it a camp, but the end result is both gross and fun. After all, this is a movie where our heroes fight a gang of water snakes, and why not?
Argento is smart enough, after all, to take seriously the crux of blindness in its entirety, and with a solid performance by Ilena Pastorelli, he convincingly conveys the isolation and fear of sudden blindness, portraying a bloodthirsty lunatic. Andrea Zhang also performed well in her debut, sharing strong chemistry with Pastorelli and making the strained bond between the two victims as organic as possible. The director's daughter and regular co-writer Asia Argento also has a strong supporting role as Diana's guardian and friend Rita, although her presence here is a bit distracting given recent personal differences.
It's not technically one of Argento's most visually inspired works, but it's a lot more solid than his previous work. Cinematographer Matteo Cacco helps the director come up with an edgy aesthetic, while composer Arno Rebottini's buzzing synths achieve the perfect level of appeal, although it's a shame Daft Punk's planned gig didn't materialize before their split last year .
At 86 minutes this film comes and goes before it can even feel close to its leading role, although the third act drags on a bit and the inevitable revelation of the killer proves very disappointing. Sunglasses may be all too familiar and infamous for Dario Argento, but it's still nice to see the 81-year-old author back in the cinema saddle.
Brilliant Myth Rating - Movie: ★★ / Movie: ★★★
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