Film Review: "Puzzle" (1974)

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This Italian film tells the story of a man with amnesia who he may not have been a perfect angel in his former life. It's a reliable trope, and in this case, is silly and campy enough to make a passable time waster.

Ted (Luc Merenda) has been in a clinic in England with no memory of who he is. He is discharged, and almost killed by a man who is murdered after he tells Ted what a horrible person he is ("a dirty son of a double-crosser; a two-bit con artist"). Ted is summoned to Italy by his wife, swimming instructor Sara (Senta Berger). Ted had been missing for almost a year just after their whirlwind romance and marriage, so she barely knows her husband. Strange underworld types begin stalking Ted and Sara, threatening the couple. Ted is having flashbacks to murdering people himself, and what is in "the package" everybody is certain Sara has and that they are willing to kill for?

This isn't a complicated, labyrinthine story. Berger, an international star at this point, and Merenda, the main protagonist of the film, must figuratively wrestle for the audience's attention. The action scenes are pedestrian, with one fight scenes involving karate chops that had me laughing. The version I viewed was dubbed and not subtitled, and is a perfect example of plot development being lost in translation. The dialogue is melodramatic, confusing, and unintentionally funny. I figured out the twist pretty quickly, there's a convenient plot point involving a preteen (who sounds like he's voiced by Ernest Borgnine) and his camera, so I settled back for the film's seriousness and peek-a-boo, naughty glances at Berger.

I could plead that "Puzzle" was ripe for a remake, but it's like every other "amnesia victim does good" film out there. Also known as "L'uomo senza memoria."

Stats:
(1974) 92 min. (6/10)
-Directed by Duccio Tessari
-Screenplay by Bruno di Geronimo and Duccio Tessari and Ernesto Garaldi, Story by Roberto Infascelli
-Cast: Senta Berger, Luc Merenda, Umberto Orsini, Anita Strindberg, Bruno Corazzari, Rosario Borelli, Manfred Freyberger, Tom Felleghy, Carla Mancini, Vittorio Fantoni, Duilio Cruciani
-(US: R)- Physical violence, gun violence, gore, some profanity, brief nudity, some sexual references, adult situations, alcohol use
-Media Viewed: Amazon Prime Video Streaming