Smile Before Death, originally titled Il sorriso della iena, is an overlooked and underrated giallo that mixes elements of a psychological thriller with inspirations from the drama genre and a touch of softcore pornography that underlines how experimental, liberal and progressive filmmaking was in the early seventies while it has become significantly more conservative, prude and repetitive these days.

The film revolves around a boarding school student who decides to stay with her stepfather and her mother's best friend after her mother's tragical suicide. What starts as a lighthearted vacation in a lush mansion beside a magnificent lake takes a sinister turn when the three characters start plotting intrigues against one another. These tensions increase dramatically and lead to a breathtaking finale with several interesting twists and turns.

This movie convinces on several elements. First of all, the plot is quite clever and comes around with a few interesting twists in the closing stages that will keep viewers on the edges of their seats. Up next, the tension between the three distinctive lead characters is quite palpable and increases the movie's uneasy atmosphere. The acting performances are very credible, decent and expressive. Especially youngster Jenny Tamburi shows incredible talent and has her breakthrough performance in this movie. The locations have also been chosen with care and offer colourful, elegant and sophisticated elements on the pulse of their time. The fact that most of the movie takes place in the mansion adds a claustrophobic vibe as it makes the beautiful place feel like a golden cage.

This film however also has several flaws that keep it from being an excellent genre film or even a masterpiece. First of all, the soundtrack is repetitive, dull and at times nerve-firing. Up next, the main intrigue of the movie is quite by the numbers and easily predictable until the final fifteen minutes offer a dramatic turn of events. This final series of events might be entertaining but is also quite overwhelming as the screenwriters are pulling rabbits out of their hats.

At the end of the day, fans of the giallo genre and anyone who likes the vibes of the late sixties and early seventies should certainly appreciate this movie that deserves more attention, recognition and praise. Despite its nostalgic vibe, the film is overall rather entertaining. However, it lacks the depth to leave a lasting impression and stand the test of time as a genre classic.

Bodies Bodies Bodies is a psychological thriller with satirical elements that entertains with swift pace and a dramatic series of events. The movie however doesn't only entertain but at times criticizes the habits of Generation Z in an exaggerated way and also makes fun of the contemporary high society in an overblown stereotypical manner. In addition to this, this movie tries to be on the pulse of time as it features characters with quite colourful, diversified and at times eccentric social backgrounds.

The movie mainly follows the perspective of Bee, a shy, intelligent and empathic young woman of Eastern European origin who has recently dropped out of school to help her mother who is suffering from borderline personality disorder but who hasn't told anyone about this decision yet. She decides to spend the weekend with her sociable, quirky and joyful new girlfriend Sophie who wants to go to a party organized by a few friends and acquaintances at a luxurious mansion. Things however start to turn sour upon arrival as the couple is told that nobody expected them to come as Sophie is confronted with jealousy and Bee with arrogance. The two young women decide to stay nonetheless and participate in the dancing, drinking and taking drugs in the early hours of the evening. After a verbal argument during a party game, the host briefly disappears to mysteriously collapse outside and is found dead by the visitors. As a hurricane cuts the mansion off from the rest of society, the different visitors must find a way to survive the night.

This movie convinces on a few elements. First and foremost, lead character Bee is a truly intriguing choice as the heroine of this film because her calm, composed and intellectual approach differentiates her from the more emotional, intense and nervous characters. Up next, this movie has swift pace and entertains from start to finish as a series of dramatic events occur at rapid pace after a short and fitting introduction. The settings of the film aren't too extravagant but serve the purpose of this psychological thriller well as the mansion offers an elevated number of unique rooms as well as a beautiful natural environment. The idea to let the movie take place during a hurricane which leads to the tense isolation of the different characters is also very fitting.

However, this film is certainly not without its flaws. The most important element to mention is that women are portrayed in an extremely negative way in my opinion. This comes as a surprise since the story was written by a woman, the screenplay was adapted by a woman, the movie was directed by a woman and all but three characters in this film are women as well. If the same movie had been written or directed by a man, he would rightfully have been accused of sexism. The characters in this film are constantly taking drugs, screaming at one another, menacing one another, lying to one another, bullying one another and eventually killing one another. Even the sympathetic lead character gets involved into this madness and rapidly loses track of her very positive character traits. About halfway into the movie, the way the characters are behaving is so childish, judgemental and vile that it's hard to feel empathy or sympathy for any of them. This superficial portrayal of the characters is essentially the element that makes a promising movie a slight disappointment with a bitter aftertaste. Another element that should be criticized is that the outcome of the movie isn't surprising at all. The film drops so many clues that help the audience solve the different puzzles that it significantly decreases the tension of this film.

At the end of the day, Bodies Bodies Bodies is a tense psychological thriller criticizing contemporary society that convinces with a strong lead character, swift pace and fitting settings. The plot is however too easy to predict and the female characters are portrayed in an excessively negative way that might leave viewers with an uncomfortable feeling. Perhaps the latter element wasn't the intention of the creators but that's the way I ended up feeling about this. This is why you need a calm, open and tolerant mind to truly enjoy this movie to its fullest.

Death on the Nile is a thriller based upon the famous novel by Agatha Christie that has already been adapted into numerous video games, television series, radio shows, movies and comic books. This film follows Murder on the Orient Express, written and directed by the same team five years ago. This movie brings the first half of the twentieth century to life in a nostalgic way and tells a fascinating story in great depth and detail.

The story revolves around Belgian war veteran and detective Hercule Poirot who encounters his friend Bouc while vacationing in Egypt. Bouc introduces him to his friends Linnet and Simon who have recently gotten married and are celebrating their honeymoon. They decide to hire the famous detective to protect them from Jackie, who was once in a relationship with Simon and friends with Linnet and is consumed with jealousy. Things indeed take a sinister turn on the cruise ship and Hercule Poirot needs to put the different pieces of the puzzle together to come to a stunning conclusion.

This film convinces on several levels. First of all, the settings are truly lush and should be enjoyed on the big screen. This starts with the extravagant clothing, continues with beautiful make-up and concludes with authentic objects from the thirties and stunning locations in a beautiful country.

Up next, the acting performances are overall quite decent. Kenneth Branagh convinces as cunning, curious and dynamic detective with a lonesome lifestyle and saddening past. Emma Mackey shines as aggressive, sensible and sinister antagonist who haunts everybody on the cruise ship. Armie Hammer delivers the goods as good-looking but shady husband who is playing a very dangerous game.

The highlight of the movie remains the fascinating story line. Once the first crime takes place, the viewers will follow a dramatic sequence of events that will keep them putting the pieces together until the very end. The story has aged rather well and is exceptionally brilliant. If you are not familiar with the novel or earlier adaptations of it, this movie will leave a lasting impression and might deserve multiple viewings to fully grasp all the details of the numerous crimes that have been going on.

A special shoutout goes to the movie's imaginative opening and closing. The former shows a clever young Hercules Poirot who manages to save his fellow soldiers during the horrors of the First World War but is unable to protect his captain and himself. The latter shows how the aging detective is slowly putting a term to his lonesome lifestyle and opens up to let his heart rule his mind again.

The movie obviously also has some minor flaws. The first half is unnecessarily long as it takes half of the film before any significant dramatic events occur. Up next, the acting performances aren't as universally convincing as in the famous adaptation of the seventies with acting legends such as Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, David Niven and Peter Ustinov.

However, Death on the Nile is a timeless thriller that still convinces in its most recent adaptation with outstanding settings, excellent plot, great acting performances and a few creative twists in the opening and closing sequences. Fans of the novel and its numerous adaptations should certainly appreciate this film. Anyone who likes clever whodunits should give this marvelous movie a chance.

Blacklight is another action thriller featuring a typecast Liam Neeson. This movie is exactly what you can expect and by the numbers. However, it convinces with great acting performances, interesting characters and solid pace.

The story revolves around government operative Travis Block who has been working for his close friend of old date Gabriel Robinson for several decades. However, he is getting disillusioned and exhausted as he suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and paranoia. Our protagonist also aims to spend more time with his intelligent grand-daughter and his suspicious own daughter. The tormented man who wants to call it a day is ordered to go on a mission that is going to change his life. He has to prevent agent Dusty Crane who is about to go rogue to leak confidential information to investigative journalist Mira Jones. As the agent is gunned down in front of Travis Block and Mira Jones, the former begins to suspect that his boss and friend Gabriel Robinson has become corrupt and dangerous. He attempts to stop him with the help of the dynamic journalist but has to protect his family from possible retaliation.

This action thriller convinces on several levels. First of all, the acting performances are certainly above average. Liam Neeson plays the aging, resilient and troubled agent with much charisma and depth. Taylor John Smith convinces as disillusioned, nervous and unstable agent going rogue. Aidan Quinn delivers the goods as analytical, influential and self-confident director. Emmy Raver-Lampman celebrates her breakthrough performance as a determined, quirky and tough investigative journalist.

The different characters complement one another splendidly. The protagonist is a profound anti-hero with significant weaknesses but also resilient strengths. The antagonist has much depth as he turns out to be a friend who was once kind-hearted, loyal and reliable before he got corrupted by influence, money and power. The agent gone rogue is a shell of his former self and his relationship to the target he refused to assassinate adds much depth to the plot. The investigative journalist represents a strong moral compass and grows through the challenges she has to overcome throughout the movie.

This film also has very decent pace. The most important characters are introduced perfectly by portraying their environments without wasting too much time on unnecessary side stories. The action scenes include car chases, explosions and shootings. The explosive rescue mission in a decrepit trailer park, the race through downtown Washington and the shootout in the director's mansion are this movie's stunning highlights. Liam Neeson might be celebrating his seventieth birthday this year but he is nevertheless credible as aging agent who looks at least ten years younger than he actually is.

A special shout goes out to the scenes ridiculing racist extremists. The way they are portrayed in the trailer park is a wonderful statement in times when such people attempt to storm the Capitol and menace society. The social criticism however also expands to governmental institutions that are portrayed as dangerously corrupt and morally debatable. Even investigative journalism is criticized in this film as editors in chief are shown as arrogant bosses consumed by attention, fame and self-love.

The reason why this very good movie loses a few points in my final verdict is because Liam Neeson has already played in so many similar movies since his appearance in Taken one and a half decades ago. He should try to avoid being typecast as movies such as Schindler's List show that he can play much more interesting roles than the lonesome old man on a suicide mission he seems to incarnate in almost every single film. Blacklight's plot is by the numbers and easily predictable. This movie has lots of action, atmosphere and emotional depth but it is critically lacking any kind of tension. In addition to this, the happy ending seems to be both rushed and stereotypical.

At the end of the day, Blacklight is recommended to fans of fast-paced action thrillers and actor Liam Neeson. However, the movie fails to leave a deeper impression because there have been so many similar films in recent years. It offers great entertainment if you are looking for escapism to switch your brain off but it certainly won't go down as a potential genre highlight.

The 355 is an energetic action-thriller revolving around four female spies who are trying to retrieve a top-secret weapon from a dangerous agent who has faked his own death and gone rogue. The movie convinces with great acting performances, intriguing characters and exotic locations. The international cast should appeal to spy movie fans all around the world.

The story revolves around a top-secret weapon that gets stolen from an influential Colombian drug dealer. CIA agent Mason Brown is instructed to buy the weapon from the thief with her long-time partner Nick Fowler. However, the transaction backfires when German agent Marie Schmidt interferes. In the ensuing chaos, the two agents get separated and Nick Fowler meets a grisly fate. The confusion gets even bigger when Colombian psychologist Graciela Rivera attempts to protect and flee with the thief. However, the top-secret weapon gets stolen by another thief. The American agent, the Colombian psychologist and the German spy decide to talk things out and join their forces to retrieve the dangerous weapon. They are supported by MI6 computer specialist Khadijah Adiyeme who tracks the weapon all the way to an auction house in China. The four women try to figure out who might want to purchase the weapon that is hidden in an antique vase. The four ladies are taken by surprise when they meet the person behind the theft and auction. However, just as things are getting dangerously out of control, they get some unexpected support from a mysterious Chinese agent named Lin Mi Sheng.

This action-thriller convinces with excellent acting performances. Diane Kruger steals the show as rebellious German special agent who gets support from her boss and father figure incarnated by the brilliant Sylvester Groth. Lupita Nyong'o delivers the goods as intellectual and intelligent computer specialist who always keeps things cool and focused. Fan Bingbing only appears in the last third of the movie but leaves a lasting impression as an equally charming and dangerous agent whose intentions aren't always clear. One also has to point out the charismatic Sebastian Stan who incarnates the manipulative villain with much charisma.

As you can read, the different characters are equally intriguing and complement one another well. Mason Brown represents resilience, Marie Schmidt showcases rebellion, Graciela Rivera incarnates emotional depth, Khadijah Adiyeme stands for intellectualism and Lin Mi Sheng is a symbol for mystery. Every single female character has different character traits, strengths and weaknesses which makes for a highly entertaining movie that deserves multiple viewings.

The locations are as diversified as the actresses and characters involved. This film starts in the Colombian jungle, transfers to downtown Paris and ends in Shanghai's lush nightlife. Viewers can appreciate elegant mansions in the forest, chaotic ports with mazes of corridors and elegant hotels of glass and steel.

This movie only has a few minor flaws. The story is a little bit too predictable for genre experts. While the action elements are outstanding, the movie is at times missing some tension and thrills.

At the end of the day, The 355 is a very entertaining action-thriller with excellent actresses, interesting characters and stunning locations. The action sequences are intense, the lighting effects are very efficient and the special effects have been created with much care. The movie has excellent flow, creative ideas and stunning pace that justify multiple viewings. I would suggest to purchase the film as soon as it gets released in store if you are unable to make it to a cinema during the pandemic. Genre fans should certainly check this movie out despite many unfairly harsh reviews.