ABRAKADABRA (2018)
Label: Cauldron Films
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 70 Minutes
Audio: Italian 5.1 & Italian 2.0, English 2.0 STD-HD MA with Optional English & Spanish Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Directors: Luciano Onetti, Nicolás Onetti
Cast: Germán Baudino, Eugenia Rigón, Gustavo Dalessanro, Clara Kovacic, Ivi Brickell
The stylish whodunit lacks much of any character development but it's gets by nicely on it's style, with garish 70's clothing, cool authentic looking retro set decoration, and some pretty darn cool murder set-pieces, including a cool death by mini guillotine! Add to that some appreciated flourishes like a Satanic cult and seemingly supernatural elements, a three-way sex scene, and a head-spinning bat-shit finale, not to mention a sweet giallo score from Luciano Onetti that ranges from retro-lounge to Goblin-esque prog-rock. The only real complaint I would level against it is that the characters are not well-developed, but the visuals are dazzling and Germán Baudino is an interesting lead, plus his freckled assistant Eugenia Rigón is easy on the eyes.
The Onetti Brothers once again have made a fantastic and vibrant looking retro-giallo, if you're a fan of the early 70's Italian whodunits this is gonna be total catnip for the black-gloved killer set, with great hyper-stylized visuals and some gruesome death scenes. This release is a fantastic opening salvo from newcomer Cauldron Films, which when combined with it's sister release American Rikshaw (1989), certainly makes it clear where their cinematic tastes lay, so I am totally excited about what might be coming next from them.
The Onetti Brother's latest retro-giallo Abrakadabra (2018) opens with a prologue set back in 1951 with magician Dante the Great attempting the infamous bullet catch trick, and depending on how you look at it he's successful in that endeavor, in a tragic sort of way. Thirty years later his son Lorenzo (Germán Baudino), who witnessed the horrific death of his father on stage, has followed in his father's footsteps, performing as a stage magician. Not surprisingly the tragedy he witnessed years earlier has left Lorenzo scarred, becoming an degenerate alcoholic gambler, with a career that's not exactly taking off, though he does have an attractive assistant named Antonella (Eugenia Rigón). While preparing to perform at the very same theater that father was killed in a young woman is found gruesomely murdered on stage, the murder having been committed with a knife-penetration box featured in the magician's act, This death sets off a series magic-themed murders centered around Lorenzo, perpetrated by an unknown gloved killer, who wants to make sure that magic man Lorenzo is the one who bites the bullet this time.
The stylish whodunit lacks much of any character development but it's gets by nicely on it's style, with garish 70's clothing, cool authentic looking retro set decoration, and some pretty darn cool murder set-pieces, including a cool death by mini guillotine! Add to that some appreciated flourishes like a Satanic cult and seemingly supernatural elements, a three-way sex scene, and a head-spinning bat-shit finale, not to mention a sweet giallo score from Luciano Onetti that ranges from retro-lounge to Goblin-esque prog-rock. The only real complaint I would level against it is that the characters are not well-developed, but the visuals are dazzling and Germán Baudino is an interesting lead, plus his freckled assistant Eugenia Rigón is easy on the eyes.
The Onetti Brothers (Francesca) continue to impress with their love for the Italian whodunits, again paying tribute to the likes of Dario Argento, Sergio Martino and Aldo Lado with a murder mystery that is drenched the tropes of a vintage giallo, complete with a flat, blown-out looking digital recreation of vintage film stock and a title credit font that will be familiar to anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the stylish sub-genre. You can tell they're big-time fans of the Italian whodunits, the film is heavy with images of J&:B whiskey, gorgeous women, and elaborately staged deaths that are bloody and titillating, and the visuals are fantastic, and they do it without paying homage to ripping off specific scenes, they do it by capturing that swanky Italian 70's vibe and paying close attention to details, with an off-kilter framing and retro-aesthetic that's feels quite authentic.
Audio/Video: Abrakadabra (2018) arrives on region-free Blu-ray from Cauldron Films, this being their inaugural release alongside Sergio Martino's bat-shit crazy action-thriller American Rickshaw. It's framed in 2.35:1 widescreen in 1080p HD and was shot on digital but has been given a well-worn early 70's giallo patina with deeply saturated colors and a slightly blown-out out look, but still finely detailed in the close-ups of clothing and faces. It certainly does a fine job of giving the film a vintage Italian whodunit vibe with getting too obnoxious about it. Audio on the disc comes by way of Italian DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1 as well an English 2.0 with optional English subtitles. The 5.1 does a great job of bleeding the score into the surrounds, and that score is fantastic, as the visuals do a great job of paying homage to the early 70's giallo the score from the multi-talented Luciano Onetti is kneeling at the altar of Argento co-conspirators Goblin, a wonderful prog-rock/lounge score all the way around.
Extras on the disc include an 11-min behind-the-scene featurette and a trailer for the film that is interesting because it showcases how the film looked before they tinkered with it to give it the retro-vibe. We were only sent the disc for review without the benefit of any retail packaging so we cannot really comment on the other goodies listed below, but seeing as the disc is now out-of-print we were happy to get even that. If you missed out on this limited edition version a standard wide release version will be available in late December of this year, being distributed by MVD Entertainment.
Special Features:
- CD soundtrack with music by Luciano Onetti
- Backstage Raw - Behind the Scenes (11 min)
- Trailer
- Inserts with promotional artwork
- Limited Edition high quality slipcase with original poster art
- Limited to 1000 Copies (SOLD OUT)
- CD soundtrack with music by Luciano Onetti
- Backstage Raw - Behind the Scenes (11 min)
- Trailer
- Inserts with promotional artwork
- Limited Edition high quality slipcase with original poster art
- Limited to 1000 Copies (SOLD OUT)
The Onetti Brothers once again have made a fantastic and vibrant looking retro-giallo, if you're a fan of the early 70's Italian whodunits this is gonna be total catnip for the black-gloved killer set, with great hyper-stylized visuals and some gruesome death scenes. This release is a fantastic opening salvo from newcomer Cauldron Films, which when combined with it's sister release American Rikshaw (1989), certainly makes it clear where their cinematic tastes lay, so I am totally excited about what might be coming next from them.
More screenshots from the Blu-ray:
