This is a movie that I got the chance to see as a screener thanks to Scott Motisko. One of the selling points was that this featured Stefania Casini who was in Dario Argento's Suspiria. Seeing that this was a horror film from Italy, that was enough for me. The title was interesting so I was curious as to what we'd get.
Synopsis: a trio of desperate criminals break into the isolated country house of an elderly goldsmith and his wife, but their chosen targets turn out to be far less defenseless than they seem.
Now this starts with seeing three kids fleeing from a man. There is two boys and a girl. We have Arianna (Valentina Carbone), Stefano (Matthias Cavallo) and Roberto (Federico Graziani). The girl drops a gold cross. The man almost picks it up, but one of the boys comes to her aid. The other one also jumps in. This ends with Arianna stabbing the man with a knife in his stomach area.
We then shift to the present. We have Antonio (Giuseppe Pambieri) who is our titular goldsmith. The opening credits were given as he was making different items of jewelry. He lives with his wife, Giovanna (Casini). We hear this couple talking about a man who is an apprentice to Antonio, but he doesn't feel that he's ready and doesn't take the work seriously.
It then moves outside where we have a trio watching them. In the car is a couple, Arianna (Tania Bambaci) and Stefano (Mike Cimini). Their third is Roberto (Gianluca Vannucci). He makes them nervous as he's high-strung and uses cocaine. They are staking out the house, waiting for the couple to go to bed. Once they do, they break in wearing baby faced masks.
They're looking for a laboratory. I believe that they know Antonio makes jewelry and that is the score they're looking to steal. We see that Roberto is communicating with Giulio (Andrea Porti) who tipped him off. This other guy is supposed to head their way as it almost feels like Roberto is going to double-cross his group. With this other guy is also Yuri (Antonio Cotese). Our group can't find the lab though. Roberto decides to wake the couple, rough them up and see if that gets them what they want.
It does work. There is a secret door behind a wall. This group goes about stealing all the jewelry in sight. The elderly couple is also tied up. They didn't factor in that the door is on a timer. They're locked in. Antonio and Giovanna get free. We see there is a secret behind a painting of a saint with a monitor. There is a wrinkle here, this older couple knew this group of thieves were coming. Antonio reads from files about them. They know much more than the criminals were expecting. Things also get revealed that creates divides as well. There is a complication with a park ranger, Matteo (Matteo Silvestri), who keeps checking on them. These criminals might not be the worst thing in this house as there is a darker secret held within the walls of this remote place.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that I wasn't fully sure what we would get here from the title. We start off with this interesting scene with the children and this man chasing them. It wasn't until settling in to write this that I realized he was credited as priest, played by Stefano Fregni. By the end, I'm not sure how this scene ties in outside of how taboo it is to kill a priest. It seems like they stole this gold cross so they're in the wrong. I'd also say that we're seeing a history of being criminals. We do come back to this scene with at least one dream sequence as well.
It is from here that this plays like a Euro Crime film. We get to see our elderly couple, with Antonio being the goldsmith. Roberto, Arianna and Stefano are there to rob him. This is a movie that then takes on a ride as things go in different directions. What I like is that originally, we sided with Giovanna and Antonio. Their house gets broken into. They were prepared for this and know more about this trio than we thought. It made me question how. I did like how that makes characters on both sides a shade of grey and for us to decide. The only thing I don't understand is the final reveal of why the criminals are brought here and what the plan for them is. I get what they're doing, but the only explanation I come up is that Antonio, Giovanna and one other person are just crazy. It gives off a mad scientist vibe.
This level of planning and how everything falls into place is great. I do think part of that goes to the acting. Pambieri and Casini seem like these nice elderly people. The more we get to know them, the more deranged they become. That fits the narrative. Personally, I think we need just one more reveal for me to be fully on board. I'd also say that they play well off Vannucci, Bambaci and Cimini who are the criminals. I'm a fan when you have younger, more capable people entering a situation they aren't ready for and seeing the tables turned. The best of the bunch though is Bambaci, followed by Vannucci. How unhinged he is until his back is against the wall is great. Other than that, Porti and the rest of the cast rounded this out for what was needed.
All that is left then is filmmaking. I'd say that the cinematography is good. I like how things are framed. The secret rooms in the house hit a sweet spot for me as they remind me of the 'old dark house' films of the past. I like the fact that we see a lab, but there could be a more traditional one hidden deeper. There are effects later in the movie. It is edited strategically where they show us enough without seeing the seams. Credit to that. I'd also say that the soundtrack and design fit the film for what was needed.
In conclusion, this is a solid independent horror film. It doesn't necessarily do a lot new. What I like though is that it takes things and troupes we've seen, combines them in a bit different way than I'm used to. I like the idea of these criminals coming to a place and then the tables get turned on them. Everyone is a shade of grey which is good. The acting carries this for sure from everyone, the two best being Bambaci and Casini. This is also well made from cinematography to the effects. Not everyone will like this, but if you want a combination of Euro crime with horror elements that develop as we go, give this a watch. Be warned though, this is from Italy so I watched it with subtitles.
My Rating: 7.5 out of 10.
