Non si sevizia un paperino
Director: Lucio Fulci
Writer: Lucio Fulci, Roberto Gianviti
Cast: Florinda Bolkan, Barbara Bouchet, Tomas Milian, Irene Papas, Marc Porel, Georges Wilson

Plot:
The murder of a boy just shook a small village, prompting not only a police investigation but also reporters to take over the entire village. Among the reporters is Martelli (Tomas Milian) who wants to get to the bottom of things. But he is also intrigued by Patrizia (Barbara Bouchet), a young woman of questionable reputation who also seems to be involved with the murder. As more boys are found killed, the tension in the village keeps rising and finding the killer becomes more and more paramount.

Don’t Torture a Duckling is a giallo movie and while there are most of the typical elements of such a film (like gore and nudity wrapped in a crime story), there is also a surprisingly thoughtful and political plot.

I haven’t yet seen many giallo movies but I gather that they’re usually more about the gore and sex part than the crime part. Which is why I was very surprised when the plot of this film kept twisting to finally end at the most political version of itself that could be done and that part was done without much sensationalism. I did call it a little earlier than it was actually shown, but only a little – which also surprised me.

Of course, there is still plenty of unnecessary nudity and gleeful gore to appeal to the normal giallo audience in for a thrill. But the focus is shifted away from it here, giving the film a little more room to maneuver, especially when it comes to the characters. That is particularly helpful for the female characters of the film who are interesting and complex and far from just being screaming boobs.

The film isn’t flawless. When Patrizia flashes the about 12-year-old boy, it is played off as some kind of wonderful sexual awakening for him, but for me it was extremely uncomfortable sexual assault, making it hard for me to relate to Patrizia further on through the story. The pacing is also a little off and there are some rather long stretches in the middle. The acting wasn’t exactly stellar.

But it’s a competently told story for which Fulci creates a tense atmosphere. That makes it enjoyable and engaging to the last.

Summarizing: Probably a good gateway film for the giallo genre in general, definitely a good crime film.