Valentine
Warner Brothers
CAST: David Boreanaz, Denise Richards, Marley Shelton, Jessica Capshaw, Jessica Cauffiel,
Katherine Heigl and Fulvio Cecere
DIRECTOR: Jaime Blanks
RATING: Rated R for strong horror violence, some sexuality and language.
RUNNING TIME:
2001
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In Italian cinema detective stories are oftentimes referred to as giallo, a literal translation meaning “yellow.” When mystery novels were first published in Italy over 60 years ago the covers were completely yellow (much like film noir in lieu of “black” in France), giving the word giallo a particular literal connotation. In the last quarter-century the giallo has also come to represent a unique type of crime film.
Like film noir, the giallo's distinctive visual vocabulary is the way a film is defined and recognized by an audience. The giallo film has a basic set of recurring characters and/or repeating themes: haunted protagonists touched by madness and irrational violence, psychopaths whose depredations are as bizarre as they are brutal, and perverts who emerge from around every corner and beneath every metaphorical rock.
The original Psycho is the first screen giallo. While Hitchcock used the accepted film noir structure (crime of passion, detective on the trail) he has the audacity to subvert the narrative into the fictive space of a homicidal maniac. Both the camera angles and the lighting reflect the warped mind of Norman Bates, a most unsettling filmmaking POV that had been widely imitated to this day.
But Valentine director Jamie Blanks is no imitator. Much like Italian horror maestro's Mario Bava and Dario Argento (arguably the two greatest horror directors in modern cinema), Jamie Blanks has embraced the giallo with open arms. Blanks not only understands the structure of these films, he relishes the opportunity of unleashing his antagonists upon a warped filmic reality.
The clever Valentine opens at a Jr. High dance. Through a crimson color scheme (Freudian for rage and violence) and startling flash-cuts the audience is instantly thrust into the repressed memory of an unbalanced mind. We are made to witness the humiliation of Jeremy, a young boy hopelessly navigating a Valentine's Day party in search of a dance partner. Not physically attractive to girls, Jeremy's weakened stature is also easy prey for the boys. As the scene closes Jeremy is unmercifully attacked while his classmates enthusiastically cheer on the violence. Much like the childhood humiliation of antagonist Peter Neal in Argento's masterpiece Tenebre, this ordeal will forever scar Jeremy.
The narrative leaps forward ten years and Valentine picks up with those classmates leading semi-charmed lives in San Francisco (the always dependable British Columbia backdrop). The first act of Valentine goes into great lengths exploring the pitfalls of relationships in general, and dating in particular. Blanks cleverly utilizes these moments to establish red herrings in the plot: the warped single neighbor, the leeching new boyfriend, the cheating artist, the drunken ex-boyfriend. Each of these characters would make for an intriguing killer, and they also go a long way in exploring true cinema giallo.
As Jeremy (whose physical appearance is now a mystery) begins to gruesomely take down his former classmates, Jamie Blanks literally unloads with both cinematic barrels. Assisted by a tremendous performance by Marshall Virtue as The Cherub, the murder tableaux of Valentine are astonishing visual set pieces. In the world of Jamie Blanks even Cupid's Arrow is something to fear.
While the cast does an admirable job for this type of film (especially Denise Richards who is courageous enough to mock her persona), the best performance in Valentine comes from the solid thespian talents of Fulvio Cecere. His take on Detective Vaughn is hilarious, forceful, slimy, and altogether memorable. Fulvio's wonderfully creepy scenes with Denise Richards are the best parts of Valentine.
Immeasurably aided by Rick Bota's gorgeous widescreen cinematography, Valentine is a modern horror film that goes to great lengths to eschew the comedic tone that has plagued the genre since Scream. Valentine certainly isn't a classic presentation of the giallo, but it is an entertaining representation of one. This movie is roses and chocolates for the horror fan.
--Yim Kip
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