Review: ‘The Editor’ is a stylish homage to giallo cinema (Includes first-hand account)

There’s a fine line between imitation and inspiration, but the distinction is irrelevant if the project is executed with care. Admiring someone else’s style or talent and aspiring to replicate a fraction of their success is a worthwhile endeavour. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all. In film, homages and references are common as masters of cinema set the standard for techniques and aesthetics in particular genres. The team at Astron-6 has made a name for themselves embracing formerly popular movie types and The Editor is their latest project, recalling giallo cinema.

Rey Ciso (Adam Brooks) was once one of the most respected editors in the business, but a film-cutting accident that claimed four of his fingers has left him struggling. Now he’s stuck working long hours on a trashy Italian horror production, while attempting to reconcile with his estranged wife (Paz de la Huerta). Circumstances are further complicated when someone begins murdering the film’s cast and the investigating detective (Matthew Kennedy) puts Rey at the top of the suspect’s list since the killer is similarly maiming his victims. Pressure to complete the movie while there’s still enough actors to finish it causes Rey to become unstable to the point that even he’s no longer certain of his innocence.

In addition to co-starring in the picture, Brooks and Kennedy also co-wrote and directed their tribute to the American slasher predecessor. The duo don’t stray from the giallo tradition, packing their film with bloody murders and excessive eroticism. Each death is accompanied by copious amounts of blood that sprays and flows in unbelievable quantities. Gratuitous sex scenes are sprinkled throughout the film, including a bizarre fetish session between the cop and his blind wife. Not stopping there, the filmmakers incorporate numerous other elements to match the genre’s aesthetic. The picture looks dated and is often lit with a red light to skew the image, and the soundtrack consists of a pulsing, electronic score. In addition, the voices are dubbed in spite of having English-speaking actors, recreating the effect of watching the poorly transferred original Italian films of Dario Argento and Mario Bava.

The film’s murder mystery plot is the foundation of a giallo picture, providing the basis for the rest of the elements to thrive. However, Brooks and Kennedy also add their own flavour of absurdity to the script. The detective character is grossly inept and often caught flirting with rather than questioning the witnesses. Likewise, Rey’s marriage is a farce ruined by his wife’s impractical expectations and definitions of manhood. Conversely, the hypersexual new leading actor is presented as a model of masculinity and ego.

One of the group’s best looking films, the effects remain practical which adds to the classic appearance of the picture. And a cameo by Udo Kier, horror icon and repeat Argento-collaborator, is the cherry on top of this homage to one of cinema’s most bizarre yet fascinating genres. This thoughtful satire was programmed at the Fantasia International Film Festival.

Directors: Adam Brooks and Matthew Kennedy
Starring: Paz de la Huerta, Udo Kier andS Laurence R. Harvey

Similar Posts

  • Review: ‘Logan’ finds a tormented soul beneath the epic bouts of violence (Includes first-hand account)

    There are some characters who through years of canon have become iconic. Their stories have taken many forms, but their essence remains unchanged. This allows for multi-generational fandom that can relate to one another because the focus of their esteem is essentially the same. Comic book characters top this list as almost everyone can hear the names of certain heroes and not only recognize them but conjure some feeling associated with them: Batman, Superman… Wolverine. Once in a while, someone entrusted with their tale does something truly interesting with the privilege, producing a new narrative that demands fans’ attention. Logan is that story.

  • Review: ‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard’ swears by its talented stars (Includes first-hand account)

    Most movie fans have a wish list of actors they’d like to see appear in a film together. Whether it’s because they’d complement each other in an on-screen partnership or make terrific adversaries, one hopes to eventually find out if they’re matchmaking is correct. Such things don’t always pan out, either because the project wasn’t actually up to snuff or they really don’t mesh as well as everyone had predicted, in which case audiences leave disappointed. But then there’s the collaborations no one ever really considered, but turn out to be a triumphant combination. Uniting Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson in The Hitman’s Bodyguard falls in the latter category.

  • Review: Nothing looks as good as ‘Planet Earth II’ in 4K (Includes first-hand account)

    It’s been 10 years since the BBC first mesmerized audiences with its best-selling, Emmy Award-winning natural history series, Planet Earth. It was definitively one of the most striking depictions of wildlife and their surrounding environments — until they released the sequel, Planet Earth II, which is at minimum its equal in jaw-dropping beauty and spellbinding images. The series is comprised of six, hour-long episodes bursting with one-of-a-kind footage and interesting facts once again narrated by David Attenborough… and for the first time, it is also being released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.

  • Review: ‘The Lodge’ is a slow-burn attack on the mind (Includes first-hand account)

    Divorce can already be complicated, but even more so when children are involved. Things can become all the more difficult if one-half of the former couple is involved in a new relationship, especially if its grown serious and steps are being taken towards making the arrangement more permanent. Hurt feelings are almost inevitable, but in some cases, it’s much more than that. Trying to navigate all of these things at once can be challenging and forcing the situation can be disastrous. In The Lodge, a father is determined to move on with his new love interest, but his children feel differently.