Overview: An alcoholic journalist finds himself on the trail of a murderer after the police make him a suspect in their investigation.

Blu-ray Verdict: When a man barely survives a brutal assault en route home from a New Year's party, washed-up, whisky-swilling journalist Andrea Bild (Franco Nero, Django) is assigned to report on the case.

Before long, the maniac strikes again, this time with fatal results. As the body count rises, Andrea falls under suspicion himself, making it even more imperative that he crack the case.

His only clue lies in a series of black gloves found at the location of every attack, each with a finger cut off!

Adapted from a novel by David McDonald Devine, 'The Fifth Cord' boasts a complex, Agatha Christie-esque plot, outstanding cinematography courtesy of future Oscar-winner Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now) and supporting appearances by a raft of genre stalwarts, including Silvia Monti (A Lizard in a Woman s Skin), Edmund Purdom (Nightmare City) and Rossella Falk (Sleepless).

Debuting here in high definition, arguably the most visually stunning giallo ever made now shines like never before.

In my own humble opinion, this is one of the most visually stunning films of all time. Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now, The Conformist) and Luigi Bazzoni (Footprints on the Moon) had a great understanding between them, and it shows on the screen.

The contrasts between light and dark, the way characters are rendered black silhouettes reminds me of my favorite shot from Ingmar Bergman's The Passion of Anna (shot by the great Sven Nykvist).

Regrettably the script isn't quite up to that level, being about as generic as a giallo comes. Bazzoni also lacks the ability of a director like Argento or Bava to build suspense and stage a murder.

Thankfully the astounding visuals and Franco Nero's appealing performance (dubbed by himself, thankfully!) make this stand out from most films of its ilk.

It's just too bad that the ending is so bland - you almost feel like the filmmakers just didn't give a crap. This could have been a minor classic with a better script. Shortly before this I watched Bazzoni's other giallo (most consider it one, but I don't) 'Footprints on the Moon', and while it was far more interesting it didn't seem nearly as well done despite the presence of Vittorio Storaro.

Maybe if they had tried one more time they might have gotten the balance right. That said, watch it, learn from it (all you inspiring cinematographers), and as fans, well, simply sit back, open your minds and enjoy, my friends! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original lossless mono Italian and English soundtracks
English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
New audio commentary by critic Travis Crawford
Lines and Shadows, a new video essay on the film's use of architecture and space by critic Rachael Nisbet
Whisky Giallore, a new video interview with author and critic Michael Mackenzie
Black Day for Nero, a new video interview with actor Franco Nero
The Rhythm Section, a new video interview with film editor Eugenio Alabiso Rare, previously unseen deleted sequence, restored from the original negative
Original Italian and English theatrical trailers
Image gallery
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Haunt Love
+ FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Kat Ellinger and Peter Jilmstad