Wolff rating: THUMB-WRENCHING
Plot summary: I think it's about a spoiled supervillian who steals things from the Italian public.
Biased, pithy comments: Perhaps the ultimate anti-hero, the man in the rubber mask (Diabolik) is unlikeable, obscure, and ultimately repulsive. With his slut girlfriend, he kills, maims, and destroys just so he can steal. I suppose this sort of cool cat would be hip in the student-revolutionary late sixties, but for me he was a violent thug. And, of course, the hypersexualized imagery of his lair (which we are treated to nearly 5 minutes of opening doors, glossy tunnels, and what are clearly a cervix and a clitoris) makes the movie almost stomach-churning. Watch out for the random, inchoerent plot and the stupid cliff-hanger ending. See only with Mike and the 'bots.
Other Notes: \MST. Oh, the horror.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: John Phillip Law, Marisa Mell, Michel Piccoli, Adolfo Celi.
Directed by: Mario Bava