Must See Movie...

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

An obscure and rather subtle Italian giallo which forsakes a string of bloody murders in favour of building up a gentle atmosphere of suspense. This isn't one of the finest films of the genre but neither is it one of the worst, instead a matter-of-fact movie that sits amiably in the middle and is worth at least one watch for genre fans. The slow pacing of the first half is a little off-putting at first but the movie soon picks up to offer plenty of menace and some fine action at the finale. The central theme of the film is that old chestnut of the participant having lost his memory and having to gradually piece together the events leading up to his current situation but the interest is retained through some interesting, fleshed-out characters who make the whole thing worthwhile.The small cast also deliver accomplished performances adding to the viewer's enjoyment. First up is Tommy Lee Jones lookalike Luc Merenda playing the amnesic victim. Although the character is a romantic led, Merenda still keeps something sinister and hidden about him, a man with a dark past who may not be entirely trustworthy. This ambiguity surrounding his character makes for an interesting part and Merenda pulls it off performance-wise. Rather more straightforward is Senta Berger's turn as the heroine, a damsel in distress who is repeatedly menaced by human scum George (a wicked part played superbly by Bruno Corazzari) who in one memorable scene throws lighted matches at her. Finally we have Umberto Orsini as a doctor and family friend who may or may not be hiding some dark secrets of his own; Orsini is also very good in the part. The only other notable cast member is a young boy who is actually rather endearing.Don't come here looking for a blood and guts movie because in terms of bloodshed it's fairly restrained. In fact the only gore for the most part is the brutal murder of a lovably cute dog and a guy having his throat slit slowly (ouch) in a flashback. However the finale - in which a chainsaw figures predominantly - certainly rewards the viewer's patience, a powerful battle between good and evil which ends with a fine unpleasant death for the villain and an excellent highlight to top off the film. PUZZLE is a movie with a fine build-up of mystery and suspense, highlighted by a realistic script from Ernesto Gastaldi and some acceptable camera-work to keep things fluid and interesting.

"Puzzle" poses a number of questions, the most burning of which may be: is it possible to forget that you are married to Senta Berger, EVEN IF you are suffering from amnesia? Senta has put on some muscle since her earlier years and, IMO, she looks better here than she ever has before - she is breathtaking in some shots. More of a crime thriller than a giallo (which is what the DVD cover advertises it as), "Puzzle" manages to stay at least moderately interesting most of the way, until its suspenseful and quite bloody climax. The Italian locations (Portofino) help a lot. It's not a "must-see" picture, but for Senta Berger fans especially it is worth a look. **1/2 out of 4.

I was just amazed when I finished watching this Italian thriller. Inspired in quite a few American and European movies of this kind, it gets you intrigued from the start till the end. Strange events, mysterious characters, (including the main one who is an amnesic man who doesn´t know who he is or why someone is trying to kill him), the right rhythm and really thrilling moments make this movie one of the best Italian thrillers I´ve ever seen. Absolutely recommended.

In London, an amnesiac is abducted and beaten by a stranger who calls him a "dirty son of a double-crosser." When a sniper's bullet kills his attacker, the amnesiac flees the country with airline tickets provided by a wife he never knew he had. Arriving in Portofino, the amnesiac is called a "dirty rotten bastard" by his wife, and threatened by another stranger to return a million dollars in uncut heroin - or die. Duccio Tessari's stylish L'UOMO SENZA MEMORIA/MAN WITHOUT A MEMORY, aka PUZZLE (1974), tears a page or two from Terence Young's WAIT UNTIL DARK, substituting for sightlessness a memory loss that seems self-willed. The more the amnesiac (Luc Merenda) learns of his past, the more he wants to forget (Hal Hartley's indie AMATEUR mined similar territory twenty years later). Tessari (A PISTOL FOR RINGO, DEATH OCCURRED LAST NIGHT, THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY) and scenarist Ernesto Gastaldi (WEREWOLF IN A GIRL'S DORMITORY, TORSO) make the principal characters surprisingly likeable for giallo pawns and the derivativeness of the narrative is offset by a series of nicely staged setpieces (a razor slashing predates Angie Dickinson's postcoital comeuppance in Brian DePalma's DRESSED TO KILL by more than half a decade). Senta Berger proves an above average heroine, and even gets to brandish a chainsaw in the film's tense conclusion. This film won't convert any new fans to the giallo genre, but should provide an invigorating diversion to those familiar with the rules of the game.