Don't Torture a Duckling (1972)
When a film suggest that someone is the murderer within 20 minutes, it is most likely wrong. This film does that several times, contentiously hinting and revealing stuff that turns out to not be the whole truth. It toys with the viewer with some too obvious hints that you don’t actually believe, but it also just adds to the overall confusion. The end effect is the same, as the various plot developments did manage to surprise me. It did drag a bit in the first half, but got plenty more interesting once the twists started and level of violence increased.
The narrative is more on criminal investigation procedure, following loose ends and how all that has an effect on a small town society, and less on the actual murders as other giallo films. Yet another interesting take on that specific sub-genre.
Rating: 3.5