Le couteau sous la gorge (1986)

on

 


(AKA Knife Under the Throat) A French giallo starring Brigitte Lahaie and Florence Guérin.


SLEAZY SPOTLIGHT #1 - Florence Guérin 

Florence Guérin plays a model who keeps getting chased around (generally half naked) and no one believes her because she's cried wolf a number of times.  

Watch video on X


Catherine Legrand (Florence Guérin) is a model, currently at a photoshoot in a cemetery. 


The film starts off with a bang as Catherine runs through the city streets completely bottomless. She arrives at the police station where the officers don't believe her story (she has a track record of doing this.)

Catherine is ready to take a shower when she's interrupted by a threatening phone call.  

She is subsequently chased through the apartment building (with her robe wide open). She's helped by Nicolas Béraud (Alexandre Sterling), a neighbor. When Nicolas assists Catherine back to the apartment, he's met with J.B. who just laughs at him.  He lets him know that Catherine always cries rape. Catherine storms off upset.


SLEAZY SPOTLIGHT #2 - Caroline Fabre

Fabre plays a woman paying her respects at a cemetery.  She's murdered by an insane groundskeeper. A violent scene to be sure, but Fabre's boobs make an appearance.

Watch video on X

The cemetery caretaker, Victor (Pierre Londiche) watches a woman (Caroline Fabre) visit a gravesite. 

As she is paying her respects she sees Victor watching her. In his twisted brain, he imagines she's a woman he's obsessing about. 

She realizes this man is dangerous and runs for dear life, with Victor slowly pursuing after her.

The woman falls and is knocked out, allowing Victor to catch up with her.  He then strangles her.

After he has strangled the woman to death, Victor kills himself by jumping in front of a truck. This is the only film credit for Caroline Fabre.


SLEAZY SPOTLIGHT #3 - Natasha Delange

Delange plays a model who is mistreated by a douchebag photographer.

Watch video on X


Florence Guerland (Natasha Delange)  is a model. who is manhandled by the photographer, J.B. She is disgusted by his advances. 

Their next photo shoot is at a shipyard.  J.B. gets carried away when he has a random creep at the shipyard pose with Florence, putting his hand on her breast.


SYNOPSIS


CHARACTERS

The film begins with Catherine Legrand (Florence Guérin) running down the street with her coat open. Catherine escapes her attackers and runs into the police station. She announces that she's been raped by three men... but the cops just laugh at her.  Apparently, Catherine has a habit of claiming rape, and has already done this a couple times this week. The police alert her boss, Valérie Landis (Brigitte Lahaie), who runs a modeling agency (which apparently only has two models). Valérie works with psycho photographer, J.B. (Jean-Pierre Maurin). Their next photo shoot is set in an actual cemetery. Catherine and Florence Guerland (Natasha Delange) pose on the tombstones. The cemetery caretaker, Victor (Pierre Londiche), watches like a goddamn maniac, and becomes obsessed with Catherine. 

Later, Victor pays a visit to the building where the modeling agency is based, and is met with the house servant, Annie (Malvina Germain), a strange disfigured woman who tells him they've gone to the US. Victor returns to the cemetery where he sees a woman (Caroline Fabre) paying her respects. In his twisted brain, he imagines she's Catherine. Victor chases after the woman and kills her in a field. After he has strangled the woman to death, Victor kills himself by jumping in front of a truck.

Annie continues to act weird; clearly wishing she was pretty like Catherine. Catherine takes a shower. Catherine receives a threatening phone call and is chased through the apartment building. She's helped by Nicolas Béraud (Alexandre Sterling), a neighbor. When Nicolas assists Catherine back to the apartment, he's met with J.B. who just laughs at him.  He lets him know that Catherine always cries rape. J.B. proceeds to manhandle Florence who is disgusted by his advances. So, who is the killer? (1) Annie, the deformed and jealous housekeeper, (2) J.B. the rapey unhinged photographer - we know that photographers are almost always serial killers (see the killer photographer tag), (3) Valérie the manager of the modeling agency or (4)....Catherine is attacked in a restaurant bathroom by her jealous ex-boyfriend, Ludovic (Emmanuel Karsen).

Returning to their apartment, they find that Nicolas has been attacked. Their next photo shoot is at a shipyard.  J.B. gets carried away when he has a random creep at the shipyard pose with Florence. Valérie takes a bath. A black gloved killer murders her in the bath. At this point, Victor is dead, Valérie is dead, and J.B. has been killed in his darkroom. Yet, Catherine continues to receive threatening phone calls.  Florence is murdered next.  The killer turns out to be Nicolas.  His father was Victor, and he blames Catherine for his death.  In a cruel twist of fate, Catherine turns to the police for help, but Commissioner Durieu (Francis Lemonnier) doesn't believe her, thanks to her "crying rape" many times over.  So, he lets Nicolas take her home. But a cop discovers a body in Nicolas' car and so he's unable to get away with it.  Nicolas is shot by Durien in the most hilarious manner imaginable. 



REVIEW

It ticks all the giallo boxes: sexy models getting offed, a black gloved killer amid a laundry list of suspects, floundering worthless police detectives, and a cool soundtrack (synth instead of the Morricone vibe). I thought it lost a little steam towards the end, and its greatest sin is that it didn't end with Catherine being disbelieved by the cops.  Nicolas getting blasted in the police station was really stupid, and there's even a lamer tacked-on ending where Catherine receives another threatening phone call. All-in-all a really good giallo, released at a time when giallos were all but extinct.

RATING: ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ 7/10

Comments

Post a Comment