Bezenby This is another one of those Italian giallo/poliziotteschi crossover movies that will keep you guessing to the end, and it's full of groovy music, funky clothes, chain smoking and that delightful sexism we've come to expect from Italian films of this era.Carrol Baker is Julie, an identical twin who works for Air India, translating things. Her sister, who is the bad twin, is on the run from some goons but little is revealed about that at first, and I'm not going to spoil things here. After being convinced she's being stalked, Julie goes for help from her lawyer buddy and his friend Tony (George Hilton). They agree to help, which is just as well as Julie is attacked the moment she leaves the lawyer's building!Although not overly violent or action-packed, I thought the mystery angle of the story kept things going, as you have no idea who is after the twins or indeed why anyone is doing what they do. This is a film that initially raises loads of questions, but in a refreshing break from the usual Italian methods, actually answers them (although sometimes that quickly that you'll have to rewind to catch what's being said). There's car chases, shoot-outs, a creepy giallo style scene with Baker in an old house. Baker in fact has a rough time here as various people terrorise her throughout the film. No idea what the title has to do with things though!

Zeegrade While watching this I began to think that "Il diavolo a sette facce" might be Italian for "women in goofy wigs" when it became more apparent that it probably meant "waste of 90 minutes". To call "Devil with Seven Faces" a giallo would be akin to calling "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie" a drama. There is nothing in this movie that is even remotely close to the genre as this is standard television movie of the week fare. Playboy lawyer Dave Barton takes the case of Julie Harrison who is concerned about her twin sister. Turns out her sister Mary was involved in a diamond theft and double-crossed her husband who was also her partner. While under Barton's representation Julie falls for Dave's sidekick Tony who likes to bag multiple women like his boss. Can't say I disagree boys. Things move pretty slow as the various car racing scenes and mindless backstabbing provide little thrills and even less enjoyment. For some inexplicable reason Julie's hair keeps changing lengths as in one scene she'll sport the Mrs. Brady look and in the next her flowing locks are down her back. She even wears a ridiculous blue wig on the beach. The woman that Dave philanders with does likewise. At one point in the film Julie's landlady is found dead yet nothing ever comes from this. What the hell happened? Don't let the sexy cover fool you as this is a sex free flick. One naked backside and a sideshot of the curveless Carroll Baker are all the skin in this film. Let's see, convoluted plot, dull characters, no gore, no nudity, why did I give this a four? Oh yeah, Stephen Boyd does a decent job as the ladies' man lawyer. Where did they get the awful idea to name this "Devil with Seven Faces" to begin with? Skip this boring diamond caper and steal yourself a better movie.

lemon_magic I haven't seen enough from the Italian film industry (or the Dutch one, for that matter) to be overly familiar with the conventions of the so-called "giallo" genre, but I can tell when someone is trying to make a crime/suspense thriller with a "jet-set" cast and settings, and this one falls smack into that category. However, I can't quite figure out why the title is "The Devil With Seven Faces", when there is no real horror element to the screenplay, no "devils" are to be seen (just thugs and gangsters) and no one here has seven "faces" that I can see...not even the diamond that serves as the 'MacGuffin' for the plot. The plot is ridiculously contrived, convoluted, and unconvincing - with several dead-ends (some of the characters' actions and decisions make no sense at all, and what the heck was the deal with the dead landlady?? ); the cast leads are played more like fashion models than actors; the soundtrack tries for a weird combination of Ennio Morricone and John Barry; and every time the screenplay gets some actual momentum going, it immediately bogs down again in a bunch of "clever" dialog, travelogue footage designed to get you to visit Holland, and endless exposition and flirting. Also, the director doesn't seem to be able film a good car chase scene, and some of the gun-play and fisticuff choreography falls flat. And yet, I sort of liked it. The leads are at least pleasant to look at and no one here sucks the way they might in a typical Italian genre ripoff. The camera seems at more interested in the outfits than the actors wearing them, but the proceedings do have a certain shallow glamor. Even the minor roles are decently filled out by hardworking character actors.The scenery is glamorous and intriguing, although there is far too much of it (if you've seen one windmill,you've seen them all). The climax is actually gripping and ends horrifically (I flinched a little, anyway). The soundtrack may be odd, but it tries hard to sustain a certain mood and sometimes succeeds. Also in its favor, the English dubbing is fairly good - I think I recognized some of the voice actors from "Secret Agent Super Dragon", which was also pretty good for an import.Minus a couple stars for the terrible way the plot is resolved in the last three or four minutes - possibly the worst ending to a thriller and mystery since "it was alllllll a dream". Plus one star for the insane blue wig that the female lead wears in a beach scene - it takes a lot of something special to pull off a piece of head-wear like that, and it is almost worth the entire movie to see it.

gridoon It could perhaps be argued that "The Devil With Seven Faces" shouldn't even be categorized as a giallo, but even though the gore is largely missing (most of the killings are simple shootings), many of the other typical characteristics of the genre are here: the colorful title, the convoluted, twisty and often nonsensical plot (one bit with an apparently dead old lady whose body disappears makes no sense at all!), the music, the European locations, the general "feel", and George Hilton as a charming/shady character. Carroll Baker is several cuts above the average giallo heroine (and boy does she have GREAT LEGS), but on the whole this film is merely passable. Still, those who enjoy the genre and have learned to accept its flaws should probably check this one out. (**)