This Italian giallo film contains a tremendous musical score: that is the first thing I noticed. Luciano Michelini's funky, jaunty soundtrack permeates throughout, bringing to life scenes of police procedure and making the action sequences even better. There are even moments of comedy in here. Are they successful? Not in the slightest, in my view, although other opinions are equally justified. To me they undermine the atmosphere without adding anything extra that is successful.Where Sergio Martino's direction really shines, however, is in the chase and shooting set-pieces, the best being a tremendous shoot-out on a roller-coaster ride. The fusion of calamity and the rattling soundtrack guarantees enjoyment. A shame that such urgency isn't injected into more of the 100 minutes, or that some pruning couldn't have been done. For however energetic certain moments are, the film is a little too long and could have done with perhaps losing 15 minutes.Is Martino's mixture of styles a success? Partially, I'd say. But ultimately, I prefer my giallo more consistently dark and without the flights of comedy. It is good, but not great. Whilst it is pleasing to see the director experiment with an established style, his crowning achievement remains 1971's untouchable 'Strange Case of Mrs Wardh.'

Sergio Martino's name is pretty well known amongst Giallo and Italian exploitation fans - he's directed such classic Gialli as Torso, The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, Case of the Scorpion's Tail and All the Colors of the Dark. He's also made some first-rate trash, namely Mountain of the Cannibal God, 2019: After the Fall of New York, Atomic Cyborg and The Great Alligator. Suspected Death of a Minor is one of Martino's less recognized films as it has never, until now, received a widespread release. Sazuma Productions present here an uncut and restored version of this long-lost piece of Italian genre cinema.When a prostitute is found brutally murdered in a sleazy boarding house, renegade Inspector Paolo Germi (Claudio Cassinelli) teams up with petty thief and pickpocket Teti (Gianfranco Barra) to investigate. The trail leads them to discover a series of interlinking crimes including an underage prostitution racket, blackmail, kidnapping, incest and drugs. The plot is extremely convoluted, with many surprises along the way.This film is a unique blend of the Giallo and Poliziesco (police thriller) genres with the odd touch of bizarre comedy. There is your Giallo-style killer who wears mirrored sunglasses and slashes up women with a switchblade (although, overall there's very little blood in this flick) but he's only seen in a few scenes as the police investigations take center stage here. Although Germi doesn't go about police business the usual way, he's more like Dirty Harry or something, he shoots at civilians, sleeps with hookers, and even leads members of his own police force on a huge car-chase during which he tells his passenger to rip off the car doors (his car's a piece of sh!t) and throw them at the car behind him! There's also other comedic elements during this car chase - they smash into one dude on a bike and he's left riding a unicycle, another guy narrowly avoids getting hit by jumping out of the way and when he falls he spins on his head a coupla times like a break-dancer (?!).The film is extremely well shot with gorgeous cinematography by frequent Martino collaborator Giancarlo Ferrando, and an excellent Goblin-esquire score by Luciano Michelini.Italian exploit fans will recognize a few familiar faces here too: Claudio Cassinelli (Flavia the Heretic, Mountain of the Cannibal God, and Lucio Fulci's The New Gladiators and Murder Rock). Mel Ferrer (both Lenzi and Hooper's Eaten Alive films, Nightmare City, The Great Alligator). Jenny Tamburi (Murder to the Tune of the Seven Black Notes, The Sinful Nuns of Saint Valentine, Women in Cell Block 7). And the Assistant Director was Michele Massimo Tarantini (Massacre in Dinosaur Valley, Women in Fury).Overall, an OK film but probably more for fans of the Poliziesco genre than Giallo as its definitely more police / action orientated. 6/10

As other reviewers have said this is a strange movie. It is kind of an "unofficial" sixth entry to the series of excellent gialli directed by Sergio Martino in the early 1970's (although, as such, it is definitely step down from his previous film "Torso"). It has a very familiar "giallo-esqe" starting point where the investigation of a murdered underage prostitute leads to a lot of equally nasty killings. It also functions as a "poliziani" with lots of action and chase sequences and a cynical plot involving high-level political intrigue. Claudio Cassinelli plays a cop who makes Dirty Harry look restrained and by-the-book. He sleeps with prostitutes, consorts with minor criminals, feels up underage girls, shoots at civilians, and even leads the regular police on a wreckless high-speed chase for no real reason. The people he is after though are even worse, involved in everything from kidnapping to drugs and teenage prostitution to money laundering.But if all this isn't a little too much, the movie also tries to be a comedy. Cassanelli has a comical side-kick, and there is a running gag where he keeps breaking his glasses. Sometimes the comedy works, but other times it tends to sabotage the drama, like when he incorporates slapstick pratfalls into what is already a very over-long car chase (a bane of these type of movies ever since "The French Connection" was released in Italy). Fortunately, Cassinelli has charisma to spare in his first of many roles for director Martino (he didn't have the impressive breasts of Martino's other frequent collaborator Edwige Fenech, but he was no doubt a better actor). Jenny Tamburi, on the other hand, was pretty much wasted (both as an actress and pair of impressive breasts). But Mel Ferrer and most of the other obscure more actors acquit themselves pretty well. Not as good as Martino's earlier movies, but better than his later ones, and it has just been released in widescreen with English subtitles on (import) DVD. So check it out for yourself.

If you are expecting a 'giallo' to unfold, and with the title, box art and opening of the film, you have every right to do so, you will be a little disappointed.For instead this is a right hotchpotch of styles and levels of seriousness. Once aware that this is going to go all over the place and include social comment and slapstick comedy whilst retaining a sleazy back story of under age prostitution one can relax and enjoy, at face value, a most likable film.Made after most of his 'giallo' greats this is always watchable with fine moments. It's just that it's not what you would expect.