Strange Shadows in an Empty Room (1976) - Strange Shadows in an Empty Room (1976) - User Reviews - IMDb
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8/10
Overlooked 1970's Crime Classic
sol121810 October 2003
****SPOILER ALERT**** Canadian whodunit that was overlooked back in 1976 here in the USA as one of many "Dirty Harry" clones that were released at that time is being rediscovered as one of the best crime as well as police action dramas of the 1970's. The movie includes two great chase scenes one on foot and the other on wheels the former exciting and the latter simply amazing rivaling the chase sequences of "Bullitt" and "The French Connection". At the start of the film we see Louise Saitta arguing with her collage professor Dr.George Tracer, just out of ear shot of the theater audience, on the Montreal University campus. Louise goes to a pay phone to call her brother Tony who's a captain on the Ottawa police force and is told that Capt. Saitta is out on assignment. Later that evening Louise partying with some friends at the campus falls sick and Dr. Tracer, who is also Louise's personal physician, is called to help. After giving her a mild stimulant Louise gets up and starts to dance with one of her friends at the party. Dr. Tracer, stunned at Louise's amazing recovery at first, realizes that Louise had played a joke to get even with him over the argument that they had earlier that afternoon. Later at the party after Louise sips some wine she suddenly collapses again and loses conciseness but this time it's no joke, it's real and despite the best efforts by Dr. Tracer to revive her Louise dies. At Louise's funeral her brother Capt. Saitta meets some of Louise's friends, Margi Cohn and her brother Terri and also Julie a blind music teacher at the collage and Louise's best friend. After the funeral at Julie's room in the college dorm Saitta is told by Julie that Louise was very depressed and despondent the week before she died. Capt. Saitta begins to suspect that there was foul play involved in his sister's death. He also notices that there's a number of photos of Louise on Julie's desk and asks Julie if he can have them. Julie tells Saitta that it would be only right for him to have the photos since Louise was his sister. From all the facts that he can gather Capt. Saitta thinks that Louise was poisoned by Dr.Tracer. There were rumors all around the collage campus that Tracer was having an affair with Louise and was afraid that she was going to go public with it because Dr. Tracer wanted it ended. The revelations of the affair would not only destroy Dr. Tracer's marriage but also his professional career. Capt Saitta and the police pay Tracer a visit at his home and ask to see the doctors bag where he has the stimulant that he gave Louise the night she died and To Tracer's surprise the bottle was missing. Capt. Saitta thinks that Dr. Tracer gave Louise a poison and later got rid of the bottle to cover up his crime. Tracer is arrested for suspicion in Louise's murder and Capt. Saitta thinks that his sister's death has been solved. Some time later a woman is found murdered and her body dumped in a junk yard. The police pathologist finds that the woman was really a man dressed in drag and is identified as Terri Cohn, a friend of Louise and one of the people that Capt. Saitta met at Louise's funeral. In Terri's handbag was a cropped photo of a women's neck wearing a blue necklace. Checking the photos Saitta thinks that the necklace photo looks very familiar and sees that it's one of the photos given to him by Julie of Louise, also found on Terri was a key to what turned out to be a locker at a Montreal bus station. It's then when Capt. Saitta went to the bus depot, to check out what was in the locker, he finds that it contained the blue necklace that was on the photo. Capt Saitta starts to realize that the necklace may be the reason for his sister's death. Saitta meets Margi about Louise's tie-in with Terri, in regard to the necklace, and gets into an argument with her over her brother Terri about why his sister would get involved with someone "like him". Margi, defending her brother tells Saitta that he shouldn't say anything bad about her dead brother when he knows so little about his sweet and innocent little sister Louise. Checking out all the leads about the mysterious blue necklace Saitta finds out that the necklace was stolen from a rich society woman , Mrs. Wilkerson, from Toronto who was savagely murdered some time ago.Saitta also finds that whoever had the necklace was trying to fence it off for a huge amount of cash but there were no takers the necklace was just too hot to handle! So how did Louise come into possession of that necklace? It now finally begins to dawn on Capt.Saitta that his sister was in some way involved in that murder in Toronto of Mrs. Wilkerson. Great thriller with a great and effective music score and top-notch acting from Stuart Whitman on down makes "Strange shadows in an empty room" head and shoulders above the many "Dirty Harry" imitations of it's day. In fact it has a much deeper plot and far less violence then the "Dirty Harry" films were noted for making it a much more effective film. With the exception of the exciting chase scene, there was a far better one later in the movie, and bank shoot-out at the beginning of the film I counted five deaths in the entire movie and that included Louise Saitta who was poisoned and another person who died of an apparent suicide off camera. What makes "Strange shadows in an empty room" so effective is that it not only makes you think while your watching the movie but also long after it's over.
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10/10
Magnum Force.
morrison-dylan-fan22 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
April 2011:

After a family friend kindly allowed me to borrow a DVD of the Dario Argento film The Bird with the Crystal Plumage,I began to talk to him about other titles in the Giallo movie sub-genre.With also having recently heard of another movie sub- genre called Italian Crime,I was thrilled to hear that there was a movie which combined both sub- genres,which had had trouble in the UK,with the BBFC never allowing for an uncut version to come out,due to there being a scene involving a psycho holding a razor blade near a baby.

2011-2012:

With discovering that the movie has not been brought out on DVD,I was disappointed to find that the only 2 bits of material that were around for the movie,was a leaflet about the Italian Crime sub-genre that was named after the movie,and a heavily cut,pre-cert UK Video,that was selling on some sites for outrageous amounts .

Late 2013:

Since having given up almost a year ago on ever seeing the film,I decided to search around late one night for any info related to the title.Originally expecting nothing more than some stills to appear,I was instead happily caught by surprise,when I stumbled upon an uncut DVD of the movie,which led to me excitingly getting ready to find out how blazing this magnum really is.

The plot:

Prepairing to go on a night out with his wife,Dr George Tracer's plans are interrupted,when his secret girlfriend Louise Saitta phones him up,and ask if he can rush over to her student hall to revive a student who has mysteriously fainted.

Changing his plans at the last minute,George rushes to the hall,gets Louise a drink to help calm her nerves,and then begins to attempting to revive the student.Catching everyone by surprise,the "ill" student suddenly jumps up,and reveals that she was just playing some fun and games.As Tracer tries to make sense of what is taking place,Saitta suddenly becomes extremely ill and falls to the ground,dead.

Ringing up the cops,George is greeted by the sight of Sgt Ned Matthew,and Louise's brother,Capt.Tony Saitta.Finding Louise to have been poisoned,Tony & Ned push Tracer around to find out why he would want to poison her.Relising that George is as shaken up by Louise death as he is,Tony vows to take what ever steps necessary to uncover the less than innocent world that his beloved sister lived in.

View on the film:

Being one of the few Italian movies from the period to feature an original soundtrack, (until the late 80s,most Italian titles were filmed silent,with the audio dubbed on in post-production)the screenplay by Vincenzo Mannino and Gianfranco Clerici has an eerie Giallo edge which acts as the perfect complement to the more bombastic Italian Crime side of the film,with the writer's using a character's blindness to create a real sense of menace,and to also reveal that the blind character is the only person who's "seen" the real life of Tony Saitta's sister.

Jumping off from a cliff right from the start,the writers make the Italian Crime side of the movie as delightfully deranged as possible,with Tony's attempts at tracking down his sister,being interrupted by a wonderfully vicious fight against a gang of transvestites,and a wild car chase,which leads to him getting the bare ,minimu of evidence!

Kicking down doors right from the start,Stuart Whitman gives a great gruff performance as Tony Saitta,with Whitman making Tony's relationship with Louise (played by the pretty Carole Laure) feel more dad/daughter,than the brother/sister one that its made out to be.Along with showing a gruffness in the hunt for his sisters killer,Whitman shows a real glee in his eyes,as he jumps into each of the overly exaggerated action scenes with a real relish.Giving the movie some sense of calm,Martin Landau gives a softly spoken,quiet performance as George Tracer,with Landau creating a real sense of intimacy between Tracer and Louise.

Showing no fear in not just taking on 1,but 2 sub-genre's,director Alberto De Martino packs every corner of the film with a number of stunning set-pieces,as Martino goes from smashing every piece of glass in Tony's battle with a gang of deadly transvestites,to placing a brilliantly animated 10 minute (!) long car chase scene at the centre,as Martino reveals that he is going to send this film out,all guns blazing.
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Supremely fun all the way
hamburger14 August 2001
With a great cast featuring Stuart Whitman, John Saxon, Martin Landau, AND Tisa Farrow this film glides with the greatest of ease. STRANGE SHADOWS IN AN EMPTY ROOM is sort of a cross between the Italian crime/police potboiler and your average giallo thriller. An interesting and fun blend it is. I'd rather not give too much of the film away since it's better going into it knowing next to nothing. Let's just say there's murder, mystery, car chases, blood, funky 70s music, karate-kicking drag queens, and of course your all-star cast! Have fun.
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8/10
Awesome, awesome, awesome!
Coventry7 June 2008
"Blazing Magnum" often gets too easily categorized as a spaghetti imitation of "Dirty Harry", its first sequel "Magnum Force" and "The French Connection" (groundbreaking hardcore American action movies of the early 70's), but this slick and unforgettable Italian exploitation product has SO much more to offer. Director Alberto De Martino, clever marketer that he was back then, does indeed cash in on the popular tough cop-thriller trend, but simultaneously his film also contains authentic Giallo story lines, which was another contemporary favored exploitation sub genre at the time. The versatility of the script is illustrated through particularly two of the numerous titles for the film. "A Special Magnum for Tony Saitta" is an archetypal "Poliziottesco" title and "Strange Shadows in an Empty Room" is a prototypic Giallo title. Both of them titles are very irrelevant, by the way, as there's nothing even remotely special about Tony Saitta's Magnum and the shadows in an empty room only refer to a minuscule sequence near the end of the film, but admittedly they sound terrific. Unorthodox Canadian copper Tony Saitti is too busy blasting bank robbers to pieces one day, and so he misses a phone call from his sister who sounded clearly upset. Later that same night, the girl – who's at least 30 years younger than Saitti for some reason – dies from poisoning during a party at her university. Tony Saitti now takes his time to devotedly investigate the case, along with his reliable colleague Sgt. Matthews. He discovers that his sister was having an affair with the prominent Dr. Tracer and holds him responsible for the murder, but the case soon proves to be more convoluted and including jewelry theft and a community of local transvestites. The story of "Blazing Magnum" could be told in barely half an hour or so, but the exciting and adrenalin-paced action interludes make the film so indescribably entertaining! Of course nobody wants to cooperate with Tony Saitti's investigation, thus all his attempts to question suspects or witnesses result in extended bare-knuckle fights and incredibly flamboyant chase sequences; either by car or on foot. It's almost hilarious to witness Tony apprehend a suspect after a 10 minute chase and having beat half of the poor guy's teeth out, only for it to end with him asking: "Have you ever seen the necklace in this photograph before?" Especially the car chase sequence deserves to be legendary, in my humble opinion. It truly feels as if Alberto De Martino and his camera crew opened a big picture book with descriptions of all possible car stunts imaginable and then simply re-enacted them one by one! Other irresistible exploitative highlights include Tony's bitter fight with a clique of transvestites and a tough confrontation in the little boy's room. There's a lovely amount of sleaze and several scenes in the film are delightfully tasteless, like for example the killer threatening to slice up a newborn baby at the hospital. The filming locations are adequate, the soundtrack is quite exhilarating and De Martino could also depend on a stellar cast. Stuart Whitman is a decent enough Clint Eastwood clone, but I particularly fancied seeing John Saxon and Martin Landau starring together in this Italian-Canadian co-production. Tisa Farrow plays a poor defenseless blind girl, just like her more famous sister Mia did in "See No Evil" a couple years earlier. Talk about exploitation and clever marketing!
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8/10
Cool Stuart Whitman Crime Thriller
zardoz-1329 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
"Crime Boss" director Alberto De Martino's "Strange Shadows in an Empty Room" qualifies as a good crime thriller with gratuitous violence about a .44 magnum revolver wielding Ottawa cop searching for the dastard who murdered his sister. Stuart Whitman plays the tough-as-Teflon policeman, Captain Tony Saitta, who is dead certain that an evil physician (Martin Landau) is responsible for dosing his dear sweet sister with poison. It doesn't help matters the physician had an incriminating sexual relationship with the cop's sister. John Saxon co-stars as Sergeant Ned Matthews. The more that Tony investigates the case, the more that he finds that he discovers that he didn't know the girl who was his sister. Martino does a good job of orchestrating the senseless violence that looks good. "Violent Naples" scenarist Vicenza Manning and "Cannibal Holocaust" scribe Gianfranco Cleric have cobbled together an exciting but overwrought shoot'em up with an above-average mystery. The basic problem with this standard-issue actioneer is some of the violence. Our Police Captain doesn't identify himself when he visits a trio of pugnacious transvestites and a walloping fight ensues. Interesting things to spot in "Strange Shadows in an Empty Room" are the careening car chase and a last-minute finale. The car chase deserves recognition, if for no other fact than it is so long and so incredible. Stuart Whitman makes a good police officer. There is even a little frontal female nudity which was a prerequisite in 1970s' movies. "Strange Shadows in an Empty Room" ranks as one of Stuart Whitman's later but better efforts.
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8/10
De Martino nails it at last!
Bezenby31 July 2018
Now this is more like it! An Italian/Canadian 'joint' that isn't dubbed, starts with the feel of a seventies TV movie but then veers madly in tone as the film goes on, and has the distinction of being on of the few De Martino films that doesn't drag. At all!

On the campus of a Montreal college, a young man watches as his ex-girlfriend has a very public argument with her lecturer and possible lover, Martin Landau. Scheming with her, the young man and the girl later play a prank on Landau when the girl (Carol, her name is Carol) fakes being ill during a party. When she non-prankingly dies after being administered medicine by Landau, he becomes suspect number one. Unluckily for him Carol's brother is hard-ass actor Stuart Whitman, and he's a cop to boot, with John Saxon as his icy-eyed partner.

De Martino scores a winner here because he's been clever enough to have a giallo (murder, many suspects, photograph clue etc) with all the elements of a Euro-crime film thrown in for good measure. For example, when we first meet Whitman, he's too busy blowing away bad guys to answer an important call from Carol, and when he approaches the transvestite community to merely ask them if they knew any transgender mates that have been missing, it turns into a huge, random, over the top battle where people are punched through glass windows, Whitman himself nearly falls off a building, and a transvestite gets a pair of straighteners up the arse for his/her trouble!

Not content with that, De Martino also throws in a random car chase that lasts for ages too, and this time he only wanted to show a guy a photo! These two scenes make the film a lot more fun than it would have been as a straight giallo, some I'm grateful they're there.

Tisa Farrow, who would go on to some real Italian exploitation highs in a few years after this film (Zombie Flesh Eaters, The Last Hunter and Anthropophagus), gets the best scenes as the blind piano tutor who is unlucky enough to have quite a bit of the film's action take place in her apartment. This might actually be my favourite De Martino film. Well done mate!
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7/10
Ultimately successful combination of action and mystery
gridoon202311 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
The first 30 or so minutes of "Shadows In An Empty Room" (or whichever title you see it under!) are nothing special, and with a tired-looking Stuart Whitman in the lead, I was preparing myself to give this a middling-to-negative review. Luckily, it finds its footing after a while (as bizarre as it sounds, the turning point is probably Whitman's fight with a bunch of transvestites!), and it ends up as an overall success. The second half contains a very long, expertly done car chase (supervised by the veteran at this sort of thing Remy Julienne) which, if this movie was better known, would be regarded as a classic on a par with "Bullitt", as well as a fun foot chase in a subway station. Whitman may look tired in this movie, but he's alert enough for the action scenes. The mystery plot also picks up its pace, as it heads towards its twisted and downbeat resolution which cleverly fools the viewer, especially by showing how a seemingly innocent victim was not so innocent after all. There are also some tense, giallo-like scenes, mostly involving a blind woman, terrifically played by Mia Farrow's lovely sister, Tisa. Just stick with the film through its mediocre first half-hour, and you will be rewarded. *** out of 4.
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8/10
The Italians should have made more movies in Canada
Woodyanders5 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Hard-nosed cop Captain Tony Saitta (a forceful and persuasive performance by Stuart Whitman) uses brutish methods to find the person responsible for fatally poisoning his sister Louise (a brief, but memorable appearance by the striking Carole Laure) at a party.

Director Albert De Martino keeps the gripping story hurtling along at a constant pace, maintains a tough gritty tone throughout, adds a wickedly amusing sense of self-mocking humor for good measure, and stages the exciting action set pieces with rip-snorting go-for-it muscular aplomb (a fight sequence between Saitta and several transvestites is simply priceless while a protracted car chase positively cooks with primo unleaded gas). The compact script by Vincenzo Mannino and Gianfranco Clerici offers an inspired and enjoyable blend of elements from the crime noir, cop action, and mystery thriller genres. The fine acting by the tip-top cast rates as another significant asset: John Saxon as Saitta's rugged partner Sgt. Ned Matthews, Martin Landau as the shady Dr. George Tracer, Jean LeClerc as Louise's concerned boyfriend Fred, Tisa Farrow as fragile blind gal Julie Foster, Gayle Hunnicutt as the snarky Margie Cohn, Jean Marchand as the suspicious Terrence, and Anthony Forrest as Tracer's twerpy son Robert. Anthony Ford's sharp and lively cinematography provides an impressive polished look. Armando Trovajoli's groovy score hits the right-on funky-grinding spot. A real crackerjack winner.
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8/10
Give me one more chase please!!!!!
nirelizov24 February 2007
There are 2 respected movies in the euro police movies that always shine above all the other great ones, the first one is in Fernando De Leo "La Mala Ordina", Part of his Milan trilogy films, with his extreme and fast paced chase that never let go and just keeps on going till the last brutal finish. The second one is blazing magnum's, which can be a very good lesson to all the action directors out there planing to do a one good chase sequence. There are 2 chases here, one in the beginning which is short but very efficient , and the second at the end, which you must see to believe, it got everything in it and more. I do urge you, the fans of this type of cinema to grab Blazing Magnumes if only for the chases that prove that you can do a bad acting movie with a simple thriller script, that still got some hard hitting sequences that shine overall. I can't finish without mentioning that the music is also a masterpiece in itself and it is always there at the right moment. If only Dark Sky/NoShame/Blue Underground or any other respected label will do us a favor and release a collector edition DVD, that would be fantastic!
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9/10
A monstrously entertaining, bullet-paced, scumbag-tracking Poliziottesco classic!
Weirdling_Wolf23 January 2014
'Blazing Magnum' is an exhausting, bullet-paced, garotte-taut, blissfully bellicose Euro-crime classic! A barnstorming B-movie with remarkably assured, bravura filmmaking from the dynamic director, Alberto De Martino. Set within a grim-looking Montréal, the quintessentially hard-nosed, nimble-fisted, short-fused, Magnum-wielding cop, Tony Siatta, (Stuart Whitman) and the ever-svelte, super charismatic genre movie hunk, John Saxon relentlessly pursue an especially brutal, opportunistic killer in this consistently thrilling, street tough, righteously redlining crime thriller from the knuckle-dusting heyday of PC-baiting action cinema!

Alberto De Martino's histrionic 'Blazing Magnum' remains one of the more visceral, gallopingly gonzo examples of the populist Euro-crime actioner so ubiquitous in the gleefully exploitative grindhouse era of 1970s! Riotously replete with all the wantonly wig-splitting ultra-violence, hard-boiled dialogue and locomotive car-nage one might ever hope to see; including a well-documented, tarmac thrashing, calamitously kinetic car chase that, perhaps, usurps many others! This monstrously entertaining, pistol-packing, scumbag-tracking 70s thriller is among the very best the joyously blood n' thunder genre has to offer, and noisily yields utterly essential, palm-sweatingly primal Poliziotteschi excitement! The ferociously funky score by that unheralded groove-genius, Armando Trovajoli is arguably one of the genre's very best; gritty, adrenaline-spiking urban crime funk that ranks alongside the very best pile-driving, gonzoid wah-wah funk the godlike soundtrack duo Guido & Maurizio de Angelis have to offer!
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One of the all-time-great car chases!
Hup234!22 September 1999
If you as a 1970s filmmaker wanted to spike your latest release, you'd add a wild street chase with all the trimmings, all of which have since become cliches - extras jumping out of the way, close calls with baby buggies, speeding through alleys, ramming stacks of boxes, weaving around stopped buses, becoming airborne on downgrades - but 25 years ago, this was high melodrama, and including such a sequence was sure to sell tickets. And I too sat spellbound through the "Bullitt" and "The French Connection" street-action scenes. But this much-lesser-known film ranks right up there in masterful car-crash choreography. The chase scenes are absolutely stunning.....though the rest of the whodunit plot is rather ordinary, almost like a made-for-television film. (An unforgettable title, though!) If you dig the action genre, seek out "Strange Shadows in an Empty Room".
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7/10
The Curse of the Curling Iron
radiobirdma17 April 2016
Until rugged cop Stuart Whitman makes full use of his Dirty Harry tool, you've got to wait until the very end of the movie. Along the way, you get your money's worth – a lineup of veteran Hollywood actors having fun poliziottesco style, a sex shop scene high on the 70s sleaze-o- meter, karate killer transvestites, Mia Farrow's sister as a blind girl, the stunning beauty of H'wood actress Gayle Hunnicutt, the admirable tits of Québécois Adjani lookalike Carole Laure, the creative use of a curling iron, plus a quite spectacular car chase in the streets of Montreal, expertly executed by legendary stunt coordinator Rémy Julienne (The Italian Job, six Bond movies, a dozen Belmondo action flicks). Of course Blazing Magnum is just a ripoff, but a highly entertaining one, in its molto-trasho-appeal unquestionably superior to each and every 70s Clint Eastwood vigilante vehicle. Gritty six stars, the seventh being for Armando Trovaioli's groovster soundtrack: That ain't Montreal, it's Funkytown.
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An ultra-violent and Shakespearian "Thriller" + "Poliziotti"
falmoury16 September 2004
I agree with Sol2118's commentary : the chase car is close in effectiveness with those of Friedkin and Peter Yates'titles that he mentioned, and I would add also the amazing one in THE SEVEN UP [Police pursuance 7] (USA 1973) directed by Philip d'Antoni with Roy Scheider and Tony Lo Bianco. Besides, this Shakespearian plot including a murdered T.V. as "dea/deus ex machine" is directly connected with the great tradition of Film Noir. And it is Alberto de Martino under the pen-name of Martin Herbert who have done it ! In Canada, starring an incredible cast. This is enough to understand that this movie is mixing the best of both worlds : Italian "poliziotti" thriller and U.S. thrillers, at their most violent and deep backgrounds. The bank attack is amazing regarding the art of graphic cut - editing work - of violence on the screen. The final is also extraordinary. The rhythm itself of the movie is very strange and original : quite onirical sometimes and not only because there is a "flash-back" sequence shot as a nightmare. Between 44 magnum caliber and TV gang hardboiled encounter, Stuart Whitman plays a cool & sad character, a quite tragic one since it is a brother looking for his sister's murderer and learning that his sister was not at all an Angel sister (as Lautréamont said about Man in LES CHANTS DE MALDOROR), finally unveiling the darker from the dark. And as usual, of such a little masterpiece, no VHS and no DVD available worldwide except maybe the French VHS titled BLAZING MAGNUM in spite of the fact that the movie was released in France under the exploitation title of SPECIAL MAGNUM. And I agree also with the latest comment : there was, for sure, lower show on theaters than that one when it was released ! DVD soon : please !!
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7/10
Hard edged thriller is compelling even when it gets silly. It also has one of the best unsung chase scenes in movie history
dbborroughs4 August 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Stuart Whitman is a police Captain who's sister (played by Tisha Farrow who looks more like his daughter) dies under mysterious circumstances. Whitman suspects murder and begins to investigate leading him down the road to violence and unwanted revelations.

An odd mix of hardcore police action and gaillo thrillers this plays like a macho cop drama where the "hero" prefers to beat up people to get even the simplest of answers while the killer remains hidden and stalking his victims. Its so arch as to be laughable as Whitman abuses person after person in order to get at the truth. Don't get me wrong the action is really well done but its the type of thing where it seems that just saying hello is going to get someone punched in the face. Its the sort of movie they don't make any more (and only did for a brief time in the early to mid 1970's) because they almost instantly became over the top and clichéd.

Don't get me wrong this is a good little thriller. Its got a hard edge to it thats nicely violent and lurid in an entertaining way. Frankly even if the film wasn't good on its own, it possesses a chase scene about an hour into the movie that is truly amazing. Clearly they were trying to one up Bullit, French Connection or the Seven Ups. And while its not quite the nail biter of those films it is a damn fine chase scene that has been unjustly forgotten by the ages.(and yes the end of the chase is a hoot).

If there is any real problem, aside from the macho to the point of silliness, its that there seems to be only one piece of music for the film thats played over and over again in every action scene. Its so wrong for the scenes to start with, but its constant repetition just makes everything sillier (not to mention it grates on ones nerves) Worth a look if you find it in the bargain bin.
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8/10
Little to dislike
Leofwine_draca17 August 2022
A highly entertaining Italian crime movie shot in Montreal with go-to guy Stuart Whitman as the rugged cop lead. He's after the people who poisoned his little sister, and his quest takes him through the city's underbelly, tackling sleazy doctors, transvestites, thieves and murderers at every turn. This is a cracking example of its type, featuring excellent action sequences - the car chase is one of the best seen in Italian cinema - and an exemplary cast including John Saxon, Tisa Farrow, Martin Landau and Gayle Hunnicutt. Nothing much to dislike here!
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6/10
An awesome police/giallo mash up!
BandSAboutMovies17 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Known in Italy as Una Magnum Special per Tony Saitta (A Magnum Special for Tony Saitta) and Blazing Magnum in the UK, this movie caught my attention with Stuart Whitman as a "Dirty Harry" type detective named - you guessed it - Tony Saitta solving the giallo-esque murder of his sister.

She was played by Carole Laure, a Quebec singer whose first major acting role in Sweet Movie nearly ended her career. She plays a Miss Canada who is married off to a milk tycoon on the basis of her virginity. The film has coprophilia, emetophilia, implied child molestation and footage of remains of the Polish Katyn Massacre victims. And Laure left the production after growing increasingly upset over what was required of her, especially after a scene where she had to give a handjob. Ah, art! At least she'd go on to be in the Pele, Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone movie Victory.

Well, she doesn't last too long in this movie. At a party where people are faking their deaths to get a reaction, she ends up getting poisoned and really dying at the hands of Dr. George Tracer (Martin Landau!). Working with Ned Matthews (John Saxon!), Tony's on the case of his sister's death. And damn anyone who gets in his way.

If you've ever wanted to see Stuart Whitman get thrown out a plate glass window by a karate-kicking transvestite, good news. This movie was made for you. And me. Because man, it's absolutely bonkers.

Seriously, this entire scene is insane. But let's go back a little bit.

After University of Montreal student - and Tony's sister - Louise (Laure) gets in a battle with her married lover Dr. Tracer (Landau), she tries to call her brother but he's in the middle of a busy case. So she turns to her ex-boyfriend Fred and they come up with a scheme to get back at the perhaps not-so-good doctor.

That night, as everyone parties at the home of Professor Margie Cohn (Gayle Hunnicutt, The Legend of Hell House), Louise becomes sick and Tracer is frantically called. He gives her a stimulant and everyone laughs when she reveals she was faking. But soon, after a heart attack, no one is laughing.

Tony comes in from Ottawa for the funeral and despite being 200 kilometers (124 miles) from home, Detective Ned Matthews (Saxon) just decides to let him do whatever he wants, which includes the aforementioned transvestite party fistfight, which starts with one of their number saying, "Cinderella, answer the door," before Tony beats one into oblivion and announces that everyone needs to settle down. Spoiler: They don't, tossing him out a window before he violates another with a hot curling iron and throwing the surviving ladyman into a swimming pool. This scene is incredibly baffling, perhaps because I'm viewing it through the lens of 2020 films.

Blind university music teacher Julie Foster (Tisa Farrow!) is the only person who may have a clue as to what's going on, but there's also a little person crime boss, several car chases, a graphic stabbing, the aforementioned Ms. Farrow wandering down the street blind through traffic and so much more.

This movie was written by Vincenzo Mannino (Phantom of Death, Murder Rock, The Last Shark) and Gianfranco Clerici (Don't Torture A Duckling, The New York Ripper, Cannibal Holocaust), so you know that there's no way that this movie isn't going to involve depravity and mayhem.

It was directed by Alberto De Martino, who also was behind Operation Kid Brother, The Antichrist, Holocaust 2000, The Pumaman and Miami Golem, a movie I keep meaning to get to.

This is a movie devoted to entertaining you by any means necessary. It's all wood-paneled 1970's, mixing the Canadian tax shelter magic with some of that good old fashioned Italian blood and guts. What a recipe!
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6/10
Poliziottesco and Giallo film co-produced by Italy and Canada with very good cast
ma-cortes22 September 2021
A thrilling and bizarre film in which a two-fisted Ottawa police captain (Stuart Whitman) , -helped by a Sergeant (John Saxon)- searches for the person who poisoned his sister , who was attending the university in Montreal, Canada . So desperate is he for vendetta , as he starts using his own violent methods to discover the murderer . There are various suspicious people , as a doctor (Martin Landau) , a teacher (Gayle Hunnicut) ...who's the killer ? Soon he finds out that not everything is what he thought it was . Walk with her if you dare...for every step will bring you closer, closer, closer to the meaning of fear! Enter at your own risk ... for there is no such thing as a truly empty room

Poliziesco/Giallo movie with decent production design as well as budget enough , it contains intriguing events , breathtaking scenes , noisy action , vicious killers , and spectacular car pursuits with subsequent crashes . It is a passable actioner with some moving scenes , a straightforward story with lots of shootouts , robbing , fights , twists and turns . The film benefits itself of an interesting issue and disconcerting premise , the strange murder at an University boarding house of a girl who results to be sister of the starring , a tough policeman , and the latter then searching for a merciless revenge by discovering a real series killer . Displaying a great number of red herrings , thrills , plot twists , and suspenseful events . In spite of some flaws and gaps , action keeps breathless, thanks to tension and intrigue . Notable widescreen scenes , which will suffer on TV small screen and including some zooms , as usual . It belongs to Poliziesco subgenre adding some Giallo elements . As a subgenre, the poliziesco (literally, "tough cop") has its beginnings in the late 1960s with films such as Lizzani's Bandiits in Milan (1968), but finds its greatest influence in the American policemen of the early 1970s in the Dirty Harry films (from 71 to 88), William Friedkin's French Connection (1971) or Sidney Lumet's Serpico (1973). Here stars Stuart Whitman as a tough Ottawa police inspector who seeks the killer who poisoned his sister and giving a notable acting . He's well accompanied by a nice cast , such as John Saxon , Martin Landau , Mia's sister : Tisa Farrow , Carole Laure , Jean LeClerc and Gayle Hunnicutt.

It has a tense and attractive musical score by Armando Trovajoli. As well as atmospheric cinematography by cameraman , later famous director, Joe D'Amato , in Technicolor Techniscope , though a perfect remastering being absolutely necessary. The motion picture titled Una magnum Special per Tony Saitta (Italy) or Strange Shadows in an Empty Room or Spécial magnum or Blazing Magnums was professionally directed by Alberto De Martino, though with a sense of disunity between cast and filmmaking , having some shortfalls and failures. This Italian filmmaker was a good artisan who wrote and directed a lot of films of all kinds of genres and exploitation movies , as well as various straight Rip-offs with less attention to plot detail . He usually shot films to cash in on other hugely boxoffice successes as The "Exorcist" Martino made "Anti Christ" and " The Omen" he filmed this " Holocaust 2000" . As Alberto De Martino shot Peplum or Sword and Sandals genre : ¨Spartan Gladiators¨ , ¨Invincible Gladiator¨ , ¨Seven Spartans¨, ¨Valley of Stone Men¨, ¨Secret Seven¨ . Spaghetti Western sub-genre : ¨Django shoots first¨, ¨Providence¨ , ¨Charge of Seven Cavalry¨ . Europe Spy subgenre : ¨OK Connery¨ , ¨Operation Lady Chaplin¨ and Terror : ¨The AntiChrist¨, ¨Miami Golem¨, ¨Horror¨ , ¨Holocaust 2000¨ and several others .
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Watchable Dirty Harry Clone
buckaroobanzai506 May 2003
Unlike a lot of the low budget fare made around the mid to late '70s, it still holds up pretty well to repeated viewings. This isn't a fantastic movie, but it is at least watchable and features a cast that can actually act. The inimitable John Saxon, star of many a western Stuart Whitman, and even Martin Landau (Post 'Space 1999' I think) make their appearences, supported by the likes of Tisa Farrow (Mia's sister) and TV queen Gail Hunnicut (Where is she these days?). One great element of this film is the execellent music composed by Armando Trovajoli. At times, he has included themes which are a combination of classical music, along with synthesizer riffs. And the heavy bass line help to hieghten tension during the scary scenes. As someone has mentioned before, this is a mix of genres from the Italian giallo, to the usual US cop thriller. But it all seems to work well.

Methinks the over-rated Dario Argento could learn a lot from a film such as this!
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7/10
Pretty decent
willandcharlenebrown28 February 2020
Decent story line Great car chase action Twist at the end Great casting and acting Dirty Harry meets Murder on the Nile
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8/10
As over the top as an Italian rip-off can be!
The_Void26 August 2008
Italian filmmakers are famous for ripping off successful American films; but with this film director Alberto De Martino has taken it to a whole new level; as he's collected just about everything that made films such as Dirty Harry successful and mashed it all together in this action packed and over the top cop flick. Most of the Italian Polizi flicks have things that were clearly taken from American films; but usually they retain a sense of the Italian style. This is not the case here; the film is Italian, but you can actually believe that it's an American film, and it was clearly made to appeal to American audience. As the title suggests, the film focuses on Tony Saitta; the type of hard nosed cop that will punch you in the face and smash your car up before even thinking about asking any questions. The plot kicks off properly when Saitta's sister (who is a good twenty years his junior) dies in mysterious circumstances. The cop then sets out to find out who did it; by forsaking the usual police methods. After following the clues...he eventually gets close to the killer.

Despite taking influence from such great films, this one is a long way from being brilliant itself; but it is at least great fun. The way that the central characters jumps in with both feet at every opportunity is great, and seeing him brutalise suspects at the drop of a hat does ensures that the film doesn't become boring on many occasions. Alberto De Martino is backed up by a good cast; with Stuart Whitman in the lead role and receiving good support from cult star John Saxon as well as the A-lister Martin Landau. This film is not very seen; but anyone who does see it will undoubtedly remember the car chase, which is peppered with clichés but is at least really well done; not least for the fact that it all comes off as the result of a minor piece of plot development! The film also borrows from other genres; with the Giallo genre creeping in during some scenes. It soon becomes clear that the film is not going to deliver anything meaningful by the ending but the climax does at least wrap things up nicely and while this is not a great film on the whole; it is lots of fun and well worth a look.
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6/10
Not-bad European action marketed as horror-thriller
fs319 November 2000
When this briefly played in the U.S. in 76-7, American International marketed it more in the line of a horror thriller than the shoot-em-up it leaned toward. Six capable perfomers, most of whom were accustomed to making the most out of low-budget material, appeared to varying degrees of success. DeMartino was a workmanlike director who, like most of his Italian contemporaries of the era, made his way around all of the heavily produced genres from western and superhero to crime and horror.
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6/10
Fun, if not too believable...
Flixer195719 July 2004
Warning: Spoilers
**POSSIBLE SPOILERS**

In one of his livelier roles, Stuart Whitman plays an enraged detective who goes to Montreal to track down his sister's killer. He tears apart half the city but nobody seems to care. John Saxon, Martin Landau, Tisa Farrow and Gayle Hunnicutt co-star. There are also several chase scenes, a nude scene, many creepy characters including a dwarf gangster, a few gory murders and a ground-up corpse in a rock crusher. In the film's arguable highlight, Whitman gets into hand-to-hand combat with a gang of drag queens. The harrowing finale takes place in a hospital. With all this, there's still time for a convoluted if not too plausible plot that holds a few surprises. Retitled in different territories to rope in various fans, this AIP release hit the Albany NY drive-ins in 1978. It may not have been a real masterpiece but there were worse ways to spend a Saturday night.
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Pretty stupid, but not dull for one second.
lazarillo23 March 2007
This is another interesting Italian flick that, like Sergio Martino's "Suspicious Death of a Minor", tried to pass itself off as both a giallo (under the title "Strange Shadows in an Empty Room")and as a crime thriller (under the title "Blazing Magnums"), although this one clearly falls into the latter category. But it is also interesting because, unlike most Italian films, it was shot with syncronized sound (and a bigger budget than usual), mostly on location in Canada with mostly Canadian and American actors.

Stuart Whitman plays a cop who definitely does not go "by the book"--in fact I don't think he has ever even heard of "the book". After his sister is murdered in a bizarre poisoning at her college, Whitman (who is WAY too old to have a college-age sister) runs hilariously amok trying to capture the culprits. He brutalizes one suspect in a men's room (who turns out to be completely innocent). He endangers other motorists and pedestrians everywhere in a VERY long, very high speed car chase. And in my favorite scene he gets in a knock-down-drag-out brawl with a bunch of transvestites! The killer meanwhile is even more vicious, at one point even menacing newborn babies in a maternity ward with a gun and straight razor!

Obviously this movie is stupid, but it isn't dull for one second. It features the beautiful French-Canadian actress Carol Laure (who has a completely gratuitous, but highly enjoyable nude scene). On the downside though, it also has Tisa "the-much-less-talented-sister-of-Mia" Farrow playing a blind girl, the same role her sister played in a number of movies ("Wait Until Dark", "See No Evil"), thus leading me to believe they were just trying to exploit a famous name as both the actress and the character she plays are pretty useless (except for one wonderful moment when it looks like her character is going to accidentally stumble out a third-story window). Ms. Farrow notwithstanding though, I would highly recommend this movie.
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5/10
Outrageous plot contrivances between a few memorable scenes ......
merklekranz26 April 2012
"Strange Shadows in an Empty Room" is not a good film. It is an outrageous murder mystery with some totally unbelievable plot contrivances. The flimsy, almost incomprehensible story is held together by a few memorable scenes, including one of the best and longest car chases ever. Stuart Whitman is investigating the murder of his sister, while being aided by fellow policeman, John Saxon. Martin Landau plays the prime suspect. This film throws almost every oddity imaginable at the audience. If you are into sex toy shops, transvestite fist fights, and newborns being threatened with a knife, this is your movie. Unfortunately you also better be into lousy music, because the pounding piano and elevator tunes are an almost constant annoyance. - MERK
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8/10
Hard-Boiled Giallo-Cop In Canada Running Roughshod...Wild and Weird
LeonLouisRicci8 September 2022
Stuart Whitman Makes for a Rough-Looking, No-Nonsense Cop on the Trail of a Killer that Poisoned His College-Age Sister,

He Encounters 70's Style Sleaze by the Car-Load, and Get a Load of the Mid-Movie Car Chase that Pays Homage and Then Some to "Bullitt" (1968) and "The French Connection" (1970), that Runs About 10 Min.

That Emphasis on Action is Clearly on the Mind of this Movie, Taking Precedence Over Police Procedures (although it has its share).

The Film is "Dirty" with an Extended Hand to Hand as Cop vs Transvestites that Ends with a Hot Curling-Iron Shoved Into a "Harry" He/She that Discovers a New Sensation from the New Penetration.

Yes, it's Weird, Like Most Giallo and its Influences.

There is a Controversial Scene, the Killer Taking a "New-Born" Baby Hostage with a Knife to Throat, that Shattered Nerves, No Not the Audience, but the Releasing Company.

This Movie is a Hoot, that can be Witnessed by any of the Cult-Members that Follows this Violent Movie. They can Make a Long List Highlights that are Numerous Noteworthy.

One of those On the Checklist would be, Other than the Outrageous Offerings, a Good Cast with the Likes of Martin Landau, Gayle Hunnicut, and John Saxon.

If You are Searching for an Off-Beat "Drive-In-Grind-House" Movie from the 70's. Here is an Above Average Experience.

You can Bet that Tarantino has Seen it More than Once.

You Should Too.
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