A Woman Kills

Director - Jean-Denis Bonan (Metropolis, Le Seducteur)

Starring - Claude Merlin (A Foreign Body, Natalia), Solange Pradel (The Rape of the Vampire, World on a Wire), and Myriam Mezieres (Scarred Soul, Spanish Fly)

Release Date - 1968

Genre - Crime/Mystery

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I find myself reviewing a lot of strange and unusual films that I typically would not. This has opened me up to a world of films that are very enjoyable. Sometime back I started receiving press releases for the “lost” French thriller A Woman Kills from 1968. I’ll be completely honest and admit that this is the kind of film I would typically ignore but when I received it in the mail for review I decided to review it. I want to thank Justin Cook for sending this one over for review! 

      The film is set in Paris during the early 60s when a prostitute is executed for a series of brutal murders. The executioner begins a relationship with a female officer who was responsible for investigating the murders and soon the murders start up again prompting speculation someone involved with the prostitutes arrest and executioner may be involved. 

      While I did enjoy A Woman Kills I highly doubt that I will be revisiting this one anytime soon. I enjoyed it for a first time watch but it’s just not my cup of tea. Hell, it took me a few mins to actually warm up to it and even then I don’t feel like I fully appreciated it as it was. It was a solid and predictable film but this is not something I would personally hit play on for my own entertainment. The acting in this one was really well done. I love films with bold characters that have personalities that stick out with over the top performances. However, this film has a strong cast all the way around with no weak links. They made the film as enjoyable as it was but I feel as if the film would be damn near unwatchable if just one person didn’t pull their weight. The story for this one becomes a bit predictable once you hit the halfway mark but that doesn’t ruin the film. It’s still a very engaging film with some rich visuals and a entertaining characters. It delivers what it sets out to do but very little else which is why it’s a film I don’t see myself revisiting. Finally, don’t expect a bloodbath of a film. Hell, don’t expect memorable deaths either because you will be very disappointed. The film is more of a story driven character piece with no desire to offer up memorable deaths. Overall, A Woman Kills is a fun “lost” crime thriller that may not tickle the more hardcore genre fans but if you like unusual films then I highly suggest checking this one out.