It starts with a splendid scene in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and then goes downhill from there and unfortunately it takes two hours to get to the end. It had Argento elements (strong visuals, unusual narrative direction) and his daughter Asia playing the main role but I found some of it....well boring which I've never said before about watching a Dario Argento movie. It is in effect two films, one about a serial killer then another one about a serial killer. Thomas Kretschmann did his best as one killer who is revealed early on in the film but I found him a trifle laughable. The last twist in the plot brought a ho- hum from me. It was patently obvious what it would be.The best parts are the music score by the legendary Ennio Morricone and the cinematography by the equally legendary Giuseppe Rotunno. And also the great paintings that were shown. I would have been happy just looking at them.

A fairly middling-to-good thriller from Dario Argento; not up there with the best of his, but worth watching anyway, even if just for the stylish photography and twisting character study of madness. It's a very brutal film, too - not particularly gory, but unflinchingly violent nonetheless. Asia Argento is this film's lead, and she has both her good points and bad. Physically, she is able to convincingly look flaky and neurotic, but it has to be said she isn't much of an actress. She's capable, yes, but this is a demanding role and she doesn't quite convince in it. On the other hand, the villain of the piece, Thomas Kretschmann, goes frighteningly over the top as a rapist/psychopath, sweating profusely while spinning a razor blade in his mouth.However, I felt more for Marco Leonardi's supporting character than I did for Asia. He's an obviously doomed, hopelessly lovestruck cop, Asia's previous boyfriend who doesn't have a chance but who keeps coming back, rejection after rejection. You have to admire his persistence. The film is in typical giallo territory - nice locations, a serial killer brutalising women, a slow police investigation, a tormented lead - and the idea of the Stendhal Syndrome of the title is both original and interesting, in that it really exists. Argento enjoys having us transported into the world of pictures (although unfortunately this reminded me of King's disappointing novel, Rose Madder), where things go really weird.There are a couple of nasty rape sequences which are difficult to watch, but the gore isn't too bad. One scene has our killer taking a massive beating and getting drenched in blood, which is pretty impressive. The expected twist ending is well-handled, yet rings a bit hollow. Overall, THE STENDHAL SYNDROME is a passable thriller, with some nice suspense, excellent scenes of psychological insanity and another good score from Ennio Morricone, but is a bit too long and both very cold and very distant.

Veteran horror film director Dario Argento visits the popular "cop vs. killer" genre with interesting if not spectacular results. His stunning daughter Asia stars as Anna Manni, a police detective on the trail of a serial rapist / murderer. When she herself gets nabbed by the charismatic psycho (Thomas Kretschmann), and seems to overpower and defeat him, she actually becomes more obsessed with him than ever before.Give Argento credit for handling things with a little more restraint than usual. He doesn't go overboard in giving his film stylistic flourishes, instead focusing more on the story. He does meld more traditional varieties of horror - gore lovers should walk away from this one fairly satisfied - with more psychological ones. "The Stendhal Syndrome" (the title is taken from the emotional / mental reaction that susceptible people have to powerful works of art) has enough of a brooding atmosphere to make it acceptable entertainment. One very worthy component is the typically solid music score composed by Ennio Morricone. However, as the film moved onward, it worked towards a too predictable denouement. In the end, it doesn't offer much to people who have seen more than their fair share of films in the genre.Competent filmmaking at every level does help. It's true that the acting throughout Argentos' filmography has often come up lacking, and while none of it here is exemplary, the actors do their best. Asia is sexy from start to finish, as her character makes a few changes in her appearance, either cutting her dark hair short or wearing a blond wig on top of it. Kretschmann is fine as the psycho; devotees of Italian cinema will recognize some of the names in the supporting cast, such as Paolo Bonacelli (as the psychologist), Veronica Lazar, and Cinzia Monreale.If you're inclined to appreciate the more garish and virtuoso touches of past Argento productions, then "The Stendhal Syndrome" may not have as much appeal.Six out of 10.

After tracking down the "work print" cut to writer/directing auteur Dario Argento's underrated 1993 Giallo Trauma,I decided to search around online,for details about other Argento movies with different cuts.Taking a look at Amazon UK reviews,I was pleased to discover that an uncut edition of The Stendhal Syndrome had come out on DVD in the UK,which led to me getting ready to see another painting by Argento.The plot:Walking around an art gallery, Det. Anna Manni finds herself overcome with the emotions expressed in the paintings,which leads to Manni fainting in the gallery.After a fellow visitor to the gallery called Alfredo Grossi helps her to regain consciousness,Manni rushes back to her hotel.Trying to make sense in her bedroom of what has taken place,Manni is suddenly gripped by Grossi,who slams her on the bed.Taking a razor blade out of his mouth,Grossi rapes Manni,and leaves his own permanent mark,by cutting a scar across her cheeks.Surviving the attack,Manni discovers that her attacker is a suspected serial rapist, who has also started to murder his victims.Tracking down Grossi,Manni soon discover that the scar he left her runs deeper than it originally appeared.View on the film:Reuniting with composer Ennio Morricone, (who gives a spidery score,designed to sound exactly the same played backwards or forwards!)Dario Argento gives the film a blistering opening,with the titles motif of cut lips,blood and razor blades giving this Giallo a strong,rather peculiar Freudian cut.Being the first Italian film to use CGI effects,Argento and cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno largely use the effects to show Manni's psychological breakdown,with the stylish scenes of Manni melting into paintings giving the title a supernatural quality,whilst Argento's attempts to mix the eye- catching,ultra stylised practical effects-made murder scenes with CGI reveals a film maker who is a bit too excited with his new toy.Taking a unique approach to the screenplay,Argento and co-writer Franco Ferrini place the viewer on an insider perspective to the unfolding mystery,by making the amateur sleuth a victim of the rapist/killer,and also uncovering the unknown murderers identity within the first 10 minutes.Whilst Argento does strike a bold note by solving the mystery early on,the Giallo elements are never able to fully recover,due to their being no mystery or tension of finding the "unknown" for the film to build upon,which leads to the Giallo elements plodding along to the finish line.Keeping away from giving the Giallo any sense of sexual excitement,Argento shows the rape of Manni in a horrific, aggressive manner,with Argento focusing on Manni's face to show the full effect that the attack (s) have on her.Pushing the Giallo element's to the side for the final 60 minutes,the writer's attempt to roll out a warped Film Noir,with Manni being shown as a tragic dame,who is slowly losing her mind. Disappointingly ,the writers fail to build any psychological depth to Manni during the opening hour,which leads to Manni's gradual fall into copying the person who destroyed her,lacking the emotional impact that the film desires.Whilst she does show a real sense of fury in Manni's case to track down Grossi (played with a real viciousness by Thomas Kretschmann- who would reunite with Dario Argento for Dracula 3D) ,Asia Argento gives a stilted performance as Manni,with Asia Argento feeling completely detached to the emotionally fragile events that Manni is experiencing,which leads to this being a Giallo which won't cause any viewers to faint.