Director Sergio Martino was one of several directors who followed up the success of Dario Argento's The Bird with the Crystal Plumage by delving into the lurid world of giallo. With films like The Strange of Mrs. Wardh and Torso, Martino became one of the leading names to produce such films with this film, The Suspicious Death of a Minor, being the last of Martino's six giallo films and a film that also contains elements of poliziotteschi. In the film, Claudio Cassinelli stars as an undercover cop named Paolo Germi, who follows the trail of a Milanese crime outfit following the murder of an underage prostitute. Complicating matters, a killer-for-hire is bumping off witnesses before they can talk. 

Featuring a script by noted giallo screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi, The Suspicious Death of a Minor also stars Mel Ferrer, Barbara Magnolfi, and Jenny Tamburi and is a marvelous example of a film that links together two popular cinematic movements. With the subject matter, I found myself contemplating the contemporary world of Andrew Vachss novels, novels that have yet to be brought to life on the big screen rather surprisingly. 

The Suspicious Death of a Minor contains more humor than one might expect from a giallo, yet it's woven into the fabric of the film beautifully and the soundtrack from Luciano Michelini is sublime. The film, while not as easily recognized among Martino's films, is a treasured gem that has been brought lovingly to life once again thanks to this 2k restoration from Arrow Films. 

EXTRAS INCLUDE:

• Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original camera negative produced by Arrow Video exclusively for this release
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
• Original mono Italian and English soundtracks (lossless on the Blu-ray Disc)
• English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
• New audio commentary by Troy Howarth, author of So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films
• New interview with co-writer/director Sergio Martino
•  Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Barry Forshaw

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic