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Don’t Torture a Duckling 1972 ★★★½
A bit of Fulci tonight with 1972's Don't torture a duckling.
The story centers around the kidnapping of young children in a village in southern Italy. It's filled with the typical images of that type of rural life where the virtues of hard work and christianity are extolled.
The investigation is lead by the police, but the one(s) booking the most results are a reporter named Martelli and a city girl named Patrizia. At one point, a supposed killer is caught (and she confesses), but that turns out to be a red herring in light of the final reveal. Which, apart from maybe a few glances, seemed to come out a bit out of nowhere.
Fulci focusses less on the gore and more on the drama. The only real gory scene is when the fathers of the victims take their revenge on the supposed killer. You can safely add her struggle to get to help, which only ends up beside the road where the passing can't see her or ignore her. This movie is no 90 minute bloodbath, but it takes no prisoners nonetheless. Like the POV shot of a child being strangled. Yep, they went there.
The story sometimes lags a bit, so it may perhaps not be a four star masterpiece, but it has enough to keep you entertained. Maybe a rewatch will sway me towards that fourth star. Who knows?
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