Don’t get the wrong idea. . . the 1973 giallo Death Carries a Cane, co-written and directed by Maurizio Pradeaux, may make it sound like the grim reaper-like killer at the centre of all the carnage is simply some feeble hop-a-long struggling to meander the streets of Italy, but that may not be the case when you hear some of the other titles that this film has been gifted for different markets or releases: Dance Steps on the Edge of a Razor, The Tormentor, Maniac at Large, The Night of the Rolling Heads, and Devil Blade. . . perhaps it’s a bit more ominous sounding now.
Poor Kitty (Nieves Navarro; aka Susan Scott) is at the right place at the wrong time. . . showing her visiting parents some of the tourist sites in Rome, she just so happens to be looking through some pay-for-use binoculars on a hilltop when she witnesses the murder of a young woman (through a house window) by a silhouetted assailant wearing a black hat, overcoat and stylish sunglasses who has a bit of a hobble. Losing track of the killer, her only clues, outside of the address number, are a peanut vendor and cleaning woman who were on the street during the escape.
Oddly enough, somewhat soon after, her boyfriend Alberto Morosini (Robert Hoffmann) arrives at the base of the hilltop with a weird limp himself. . . claiming to have twisted his ankle a bit earlier. Police Inspector Merughi (Jorge Martín) of course thinks Alberto is the prime suspect. . . but, after all, the trope is that police in gialli are usually incompetent, so that makes us think it may not be that easy.
It gets more dire when the Inspector believes that this may not be the first murder. . . as this case and a previous one both have similar modus operandi – similar markings around the neck, as if someone was held in place by a cane. Like the best gialli, there is no shortage of culprits at hand. On top of our hobbling lead, there is also Alberto’s surly pianist friend Marco (Simón Andreu), who is married to Lidia (Anuska Borova) – a top manager of dancers in Rome; intriguingly, she’s got a twin sister, Silvia (also played by Borova), a depressed former dancer recovering from a serious leg injury; Magda Hopkins (CristinaTamborra) also comes into play, as she is one of Lidia’s top students that Marco accompanies while she trains.
With some lackluster police work, Kitty and Alberto get roped into helping solve the murder mystery. . . leading to ever more risky attempts to catch the killer. Can they basically take over the ever growing case and solve its complexities? Which of these shady and morose culprits might be the psychopath? Might the cane be a sneaky red herring, or does the murderer have to be one of these frustrated limpers making their way around Rome?
Edgy and stylish, the biggest issue with Death Carries a Cane is the complex but convoluted plot. Taking too long to introduce all of the characters, when you start bringing in twins who are played by the same actress and a bunch of other moving parts with limited character development, it certainly keeps you guessing. . . simply because you’re not quite sure who some of these people are. Despite this, the story comes together for a dark and serviceable conclusion, with several memorable murderous moments along the way. So, dance the night away while you discover what will happen within this, dare I say it, cane mutiny.