Jour maléfique

source: The Fifth Cord

Giornata nera per l'ariete

A series of murders occur with the only link between them being a glove which has a finger cut off. A reporter gradually tracks down the killer who may be someone he knows. He himself is a suspect but he is dogged in his investigation. It's a fair giallo with the familiar plot device of someone who murders several times to hide the fact they really want to kill just one person in the death toll. (Agatha Christie for one). It's also a bit confusing as it first appears the killer is killing for the sake of it (breathy sinister narration) when in actual fact they have a real motive. The meaning of the glove is obscure too. As often in giallos the end explanation is far too rushed. The cast are fine. Franco Nero makes a hero who is brave but is also a bit pathetic, particularly when drunk. The film benefits greatly from having the legendary Vittorio Storaro as cinematographer and the equally legendary Ennio Morricone providing the music score. They lift the film greatly.

Excellent Cinematography & Music. Story is lacking, maybe in the English Translation. This is the same director and cinematographer who made Footprints on the Moon, excellent movie. This movie also has great cinematography and the directing/editing is a fine job. Music is good as well. The acting is good. But the story is lacking. Maybe the story is lost in the English translation. Best suspense is when the killer was going after the kid. It's a good thing the kid didn't get killed, that would have been bad, and sick! Maybe in the original Italian, the story holds up better. And maybe some graphic scenes were cut out for the English release. If so, then this is a great film, and great production. But as it stands I can only give it a C, or B -, 6 stars. Worth checking out for the camera work.

I like giallo as a genre but I must admit that I found 'The Fifth Cord' to be very difficult to stay interested in. Half-way through I began to get bored, and by the end when the identity of the killer was revealed and their motive explained, all I could do was shrug and rewind. I can appreciate Franco Nero as much as the next guy, but even his utter coolness can't keep this one from a one way ticket to snoozeville. Nero plays an alcoholic journalist attempting to solve a series of odd murders in which he himself is a suspect. The whole movie has a second-hand Argento feel to it, but it just meanders along in a dull and uninteresting fashion. I would only recommend this to super giallo buffs who must see every movie of this kind ever made. The rest of you shouldn't bother, as it is a disappointing example of the genre, and really has nothing but Nero going for it. Too bad.

An exceptional thriller boasting some of the classiest production values of any Giallo. Franco Nero plays a drunken news reporter who finds himself in a lot of trouble with his bosses and the police when people around him start to get killed off. Is he the killer or is he the next victim? Director Luigi Bazzoni (who also had a hand in the script) keeps us guessing until the very end. Bazzoni's direction is dynamite, aided a lot by Vittorio Storaro's stunning photography. There are very few wasted shots in this film. Ennio Morricone's creepy score is another asset. All the performers, beginning with Nero, are great. Nero is best at playing these types of weary (in this case perpetually hungover) outsiders. The strong supporting cast includes Wolfgang Preiss as a wily cop, Renato Romano as a less than ethical doctor and Pamela Tiffin as Nero's free-spirited girlfriend.

"Giornata nera per l'ariete", a.k.a. "The Fifth Cord", is a boring and tiresome Italian thriller. The reporter Andrea Bild, performed Franco Nero, is an unpleasant character. The cinematography, camera work and shadows are magnificent. However, the screenplay is not engaging; the conclusion is weak; and the motive of the murders is silly and absurd. My vote is five. Title (Brazil): "Um Dia Negro" ("A Black Day")

Excellent giallo, with just a touch more of the thriller about it than is usual. Direction is assured, camera-work innovative and exciting with all the performances solid, especially the charismatic Mr Nero. The killer does not restrict themselves to women here, for a change, and has a go at men women and children. Fast moving and most entertaining with no pause for any ponderous detective work. Super stylish with amazingly spacious apartments, swirling staircases and contemporary concrete and glass splendour of late 60's Italian architecture. Last but by no means least a lovely understated but truly effective and sparingly used Morricone soundtrack. It's not a lot more than the same enigmatic theme repeated with various orchestrations but it helps the work enormously, as does the splattering of what sound like industrial music and also the silences, especially for the murders, no crashing crescendo, simply unnerving silence. A fave.