qmtv
Decent movie. But the story was all over the place.I watched "All the Colors of the Dark" yesterday, same director, which had excellent cinematography, lighting, sets, editing, acting and music. This movie, "Your Vice
" does not have all that. Both movies lack in the story department, but with decent production it elevates the viewing and entertainment.Luigi Pistilli acting as the dirtbag husband was great, and most of the acting was fine here.The version I saw was had dubbed in English and it was not very good. It may be better with subtitles.It is an entertaining movie. But the story is all over the place.Rating is a C, or 6 stars. Worth checking out.
christopher-underwood
It seems from my notes that when I last watched this ten years ago I was not too impressed. Enjoying it very much now, that seems strange. I suppose it is not an out and out gallo, seeming at first to maybe more of a slasher but things soon settle down into confusing and delightfully strange gallo territory and after a wait of some twenty minutes or so and two killings down, Edwige Fenech makes her stunning entry. Anita Strindberg has held the fort well enough and Luigi Pistilli worryingly effective as overwrought, over violent and over promiscuous husband has made sure we are sufficiently unnerved. Edwige manages to have sex, heterosexually four times and homosexually twice whilst the murders continue, her costumes continue to impress and Bruno Nicolai's score continues to titliate. A bit uneven perhaps but Sergio Martino knows well what he is doing and by the end we have to consider this a very high order giallo.
Leofwine_draca
YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY is a fairly typical example of the giallo genre, directed by old hand Sergio Martino. It's certainly a watchable enough effort but lacks the kind of drive and impetus that makes the best of this type of film. Having previously watched WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE? a few nights previously, that masterpiece shows up YOUR VICE by comparison.What we have is a slow-burning potboiler for the most part, once the eye-opening orgy scene at the film's opening is disposed of. Martino's stylish direction is one of the film's strengths but the script is a little sub par, particularly in the middle section of the movie which seems to be propelled by endless sex scenes more than anything else. Things do pick up the last half hour, where it gets very good with some shocking plot twists and turns, and it's a pity the rest of the film wasn't of the same quality.As with so many productions, the script is based on Poe's short story THE BLACK CAT, although this is only an incidental part of the narrative as these things go. There's a cast here who give fine performances, particularly the stylish and sultry Edwige Fenech who captivates the screen throughout and keeps the viewer guessing as to her character's motivations. Anita Strindberg is an arresting presence as the abused wife, while Luigi Pistilli is thoroughly horrible as her cruel husband. Genre favourite Ivan Rassimov also has a small but pivotal role.
tomgillespie2002
Boasting one of the most outlandish titles of the giallo genre, Sergio Martino's Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key is yet another loose adaptation of one of Edgar Allen Poe's most famous titles, The Black Cat. Like most Poe adaptations, the film shares little with its source material, apart from the presence of the titular black cat, here named Satan. While it is chocked full of narrative stumbles and frustrating red herrings, Martino's refusal to bend to the genre rules of the giallo makes Your Vice an extremely interesting entry into the genre, avoiding being bogged down with drawn-out set pieces and mind-bending visuals, and instead focusing on the psychological - and physical - interplay between its two leads.Bored writer Oliviero (Luigi Pistilli) spends the majority of his time throwing drug and alcohol-fuelled parties for the local hippies, and enjoys mentally and physically abusing his long- suffering wife Irina (Anita Strindberg) in front of them. When a young student is brutally murdered on the night she had arranged to meet Oliviero, the wife-beating pig naturally becomes the prime suspect and withdraws into a state of deep paranoia at his labyrinthine mansion. When their maid also shows up dead, Oliviero and Irina hide the body just before the arrival of his niece Floriana (Edwige Fenech). Floriana is a confident and wise young woman, and hatches a plan with Irina to deal with her abusive husband. But not all is as it seems, and just who is the handsome grey-haired man lurking behind every corner?Far from your average giallo, Your Vice... doesn't subvert the genre but frequently surprises. The plot and ludicrous climax, like most gialli, seem not be taken from the yellow-covered pulp fiction they are normally adapted from, but something akin to an episode of Scooby- Doo. While that may seem like a criticism, it really isn't - it's the type of insanity that makes these movies so much fun to watch. Bolstered by a fantastic score by Bruno Nicolai and lavish cinematography by Giancarlo Ferrando, they are nonetheless overshadowed by Fenech, surely one of the most beautiful women to ever grace the screen. Floriana is a no-nonsense, well-travelled lady, and just when you think you have her worked out, the film throws in a surprising, if in no way believable, twist. It may not be remembered as Martino's best entry into the genre (1973's Torso is certainly up there), but Your Vice... throws in enough twists and turns to keep it consistently entertaining and occasionally disturbing.