La Morte Risale A Ieri Sera (aka A Death Occurred Last Night) (1970)

A father (Raf Vallone) has raised a mentally challenged daughter (Gillian Bray) who has the mentality of a young child. She's statuesque and attractive and has a strong sexual urge. When she disappears one day, the father goes to the Milanese police for help in finding her. What follows is a dark journey through Milan's underbelly of prostitutes and pimps and ends in tragedy. Based on the novel I MILANESI AMAZZANO AL SABATO by Giorgio Scerbanenco and directed by Duccio Tessari (THE BLOODSTAINED BUTTERFLY). Wow! Going in, I thought I would be watching a a typical 70s Italian police procedural or giallo. It's neither although it has strong elements of both. It's a crime thriller to be sure but it has an added layer of humanity and social critique that isn't usually present in a genre film like this. Vallone's bereaved father whose grief drives him to violence and a black prostitute (Beryl Cunningham) spiraling downward to a unpleasant fate are two characters who touch us because we can feel their pain and frustration. With Eva Renzi, Frank Wolff, Gabriele Tinti and Gigi Rizzi.