The Dead Eyes of London is a film version of a novel by Edgar Wallace and is a part of the "Krimi" series of films; the German answer to the Italian Giallo, all based on books by the aforementioned writer. This novel was actually made into a film several years earlier in 1940 and starring the great Bela Lugosi; having not seen the earlier version, however, I can't say whether or not this version is better. Despite being a big Giallo fan, this is actually the first Krimi film I've seen - and while there were some things I liked about it, I have to say that I am hoping that this is not a great example of the genre as it's not all that good! As the title suggests; the film is set in London and, naturally, focuses on a series of murders and we begin with the murder of a wealthy man. Scotland Yard starts to investigate and the clue soon point to either the killer being blind or having something to do with the blind community. The police dig deeper, while the murders continue, and pretty soon the investigators are lead to a blind institute...
This film has two main problems; the plot is largely implausible and the way it plays out is rather boring. The first one of these problems is the lesser of the two; being a fan of Giallo means that I'm used to things not always making perfect sense and I don't mind a wild plot, providing it doesn't get overly silly and it's entertaining to watch. This leads me to the second problem; and that really is a big one. Director Alfred Vohrer (who apparently made a number of "Krimi" films) fails to generate much suspense and the plot is very drawn out and soon the film begins to grate on the viewer. The film seems to want to rely on its atmosphere and while the black and white cinematography does give it a creepy and foreboding feeling, which benefits the film immensely; it's really not enough to carry it all the way to it's conclusion without the film becoming boring. To the film's credit, the ending isn't bad; it provides a satisfying climax to the mystery and wraps things up in a way that is just about believable, but still it doesn't save the film completely. As mentioned, this is my first Krimi film and while I didn't like it much; I am looking forward to checking out more films from this genre.
This film has two main problems; the plot is largely implausible and the way it plays out is rather boring. The first one of these problems is the lesser of the two; being a fan of Giallo means that I'm used to things not always making perfect sense and I don't mind a wild plot, providing it doesn't get overly silly and it's entertaining to watch. This leads me to the second problem; and that really is a big one. Director Alfred Vohrer (who apparently made a number of "Krimi" films) fails to generate much suspense and the plot is very drawn out and soon the film begins to grate on the viewer. The film seems to want to rely on its atmosphere and while the black and white cinematography does give it a creepy and foreboding feeling, which benefits the film immensely; it's really not enough to carry it all the way to it's conclusion without the film becoming boring. To the film's credit, the ending isn't bad; it provides a satisfying climax to the mystery and wraps things up in a way that is just about believable, but still it doesn't save the film completely. As mentioned, this is my first Krimi film and while I didn't like it much; I am looking forward to checking out more films from this genre.