“Weekend Murders” is an intellectual mixture of the Italian Giallo era and an Agatha Christie-style mystery, set in England. What unfolds in this picture is a riveting and rousing who-done-it that will keep you guessing until the end. Released in the early ‘70s by MGM as part of a double-bill with “Black Belly of the Tarantula” and basically unreleased since then, this lost classic with a high pedigree was finally exposed to American audiences thanks to Code Red.
The premise has been executed countless times in television and movies whose need to do something different makes “Weekend Murders” unique. The loss of a wealthy relative unites several so-called relations and friends that only seem to be mourning the money they didn’t inherit. A golf outing leads to the discovery of a corpse, followed by a run-down of the usual suspects. However, the most likely of the suspects, the butler, is actually one of the victims (so, he is innocent). The film manages to be wildly entertaining, effectively spoofing the absurdness of the genre and a fun experience (and maybe one of the best Giallos).
The best performance in the picture comes from Gastone Moschin as Sgt. Aloisius Thorpe, the only decent friend of the deceased. Moschin’s claim to fame is having played Don Fanucci in “The Godfather Part 2,” the man that runs the neighborhood and is murdered by Robert DeNiro. He is one of Italy’s most underrated actors and his performance in this film is delightful. Coming off slightly dumb, Thorpe is actually the only person in the movie smart enough to solve the case, partly because no one takes him seriously. This gives him the freedom to search for clues without making anyone nervous.
He is paired up with Supt. Grey (Lance Percival), who is called to the scene when the body is discovered. Grey believes that Thorpe is slow-witted and treats him like a moron, but the great thing about Thorpe is that he simply wants to solve the case. Grey takes the credit for all of Thorpe’s discoveries and cannot admit that he may be the dumb one of the two. Moschin and Percival share great screen chemistry, which is one of the major reasons the film works.
Now the suspects are formed from the most unlikely of actors including Italian Opera star Anna Moffo as Barbara Worth. How she become involved in the project remains a mystery, but it is one of her few films and she gives a solid performance. Her husband, Peter Baldwin, plays Anthony Carter, providing a decent performance considering his lines were dubbed over and he was unavailable to do so himself when the time came. He may not be known well in the movie industry, but was an important part of television, having directed for several series including “Family Ties,” “Family Matters,” “Full House,” “The Wonder Years” and “Head of the Class.”
At 98 minutes, the film is paced reasonably, allowing you to be drawn into the mystery while getting to know some eccentric characters (like Georgie Kemple, a rapist with an Oedipus complex). Overall, the movie comes off better then you can expect, with a great ending. This is not a conclusion that you would have seen coming and the killer is quite a shock.
Now Code Red has released many titles in the past two months, proving what a great company they have become for cult movie lovers. Their presentation is exquisite considering this film has not surfaced in well over 30 years. Audio and video are better than expected, making it a worthwhile purchase for anyone who is curious about the film.
Baldwin is on hand for the bulk of the extras, including an informative audio commentary with Hostel producer Scott Spiegel and moderator Lee Christian. The commentary is centered on the film then goes off topic into Baldwin’s career, which is fine because this man had an interesting tenure in television.
A solo 19 minute interview with Baldwin discusses his career, his late wife Moffo and many more tidbits. Then comes the original MGM trailer and a nice still gallery.
Of course, no Code Red release would be complete without a sneak peek of what is to come. The already released “Trapped,” “Stunt Rock” and the movie “Final Destination” ripped off, “Sole Survivor” start this off. Then the highly anticipated “Night Warning,” (or “Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker”) “The Statue,” “Cheerleaders’ Wild Weekend,” (Coming in November and featuring “Flesh Gordon” himself, Jason Williams), “Devil’s Express,” “Brute Corps” and “Dr. Death: Seeker of Souls” (Which looks like twisted fun) follow up.
“Weekend Murders” would have been taken more seriously if it was not produced as Italian Giallo in the early seventies and contains everything needed for a great mystery while keeping a fast pace.
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