Brilliant, kooky, and sexy Mario Bava venture based on the exploits of popular Italian comic book anti-hero, Diabolik.
John Phillip Law is in the lead, whilst the too gorgeous, and sadly missed, Maris Mell, plays Diabolik's sexy girlfriend and criminal co-hort, Eva. Expectedly genius and innovative direction by Bava (watch for his interesting attempts to frame scenes like comic panels) and a phenomenal score by the indomitable Ennio Morricone.
Since dropping off the public radar so many years ago, the film's mainstream exposure has been limited to its influence on films like Tim Burton's Batman, Roman Coppola's CQ, and most notably, the Beastie Boys music video "Body Movin'", which actually incorporated footage from the film.
Similar in style, but far superior to the campy Batman television show of the 60's, Danger: Diabolik is about a flamboyant criminal mastermind, decked out in what today is basically black leather fetish gear, going about commiting various extravagant robberies and acts of terrorism for the thrill of it, and for goodies to lavish upon his aformentioned girlfriend.
This is an endlessly fun film, with an anti-hero who is *truly* that, killing people (including cops) without any afterthought, stealing whatever catches his eye, and blowing up shit up just for kicks. When he retires to his "pimped out" secret lair, he primarily lounges around naked with his girlfriend, or they go and make the beast with two backs covered in piles of cash.
As a comic book film, this is one of the best, it's like Sin City, in the fact that it just revels in the world that it's representing and it never pulls back. I'm a big fan of the "fumetti neri" genre (literally "black comics" or "adult comics") and whilst Danger: Diabolik represents the lighter side of that whole period, dominated by artists like Magnus, it's also bawdy and wild enough to go toe to toe with the likes of cult classics, Barbarella and Flash Gordon.
If you've not had the pleasure, I implore you to check it out.
John Phillip Law is in the lead, whilst the too gorgeous, and sadly missed, Maris Mell, plays Diabolik's sexy girlfriend and criminal co-hort, Eva. Expectedly genius and innovative direction by Bava (watch for his interesting attempts to frame scenes like comic panels) and a phenomenal score by the indomitable Ennio Morricone.
Since dropping off the public radar so many years ago, the film's mainstream exposure has been limited to its influence on films like Tim Burton's Batman, Roman Coppola's CQ, and most notably, the Beastie Boys music video "Body Movin'", which actually incorporated footage from the film.
Similar in style, but far superior to the campy Batman television show of the 60's, Danger: Diabolik is about a flamboyant criminal mastermind, decked out in what today is basically black leather fetish gear, going about commiting various extravagant robberies and acts of terrorism for the thrill of it, and for goodies to lavish upon his aformentioned girlfriend.
This is an endlessly fun film, with an anti-hero who is *truly* that, killing people (including cops) without any afterthought, stealing whatever catches his eye, and blowing up shit up just for kicks. When he retires to his "pimped out" secret lair, he primarily lounges around naked with his girlfriend, or they go and make the beast with two backs covered in piles of cash.
As a comic book film, this is one of the best, it's like Sin City, in the fact that it just revels in the world that it's representing and it never pulls back. I'm a big fan of the "fumetti neri" genre (literally "black comics" or "adult comics") and whilst Danger: Diabolik represents the lighter side of that whole period, dominated by artists like Magnus, it's also bawdy and wild enough to go toe to toe with the likes of cult classics, Barbarella and Flash Gordon.
If you've not had the pleasure, I implore you to check it out.
