Giallo Movie Review: Sleepless

It’s been some time since my last viewing of Dario Argento’s Non ho sonno (Sleepless). It’s been a long time since watching any Argento films. I do, however, remember liking this film, but what I remember is the film’s unexpected conclusion when it shocked the hell out of me. I wanted to revisit Sleepless and see if it still lives up to my memory. The cold open to the movie, set in Turin, Italy, 1983, where we meet Detective Moretti (Max von Sydow) and a young Giacamo at the murder scene of Giacomo’s mother. It is unknown what happened to his mother at this point, and Moretti vows to find the killer. The murder scene is jarring, giving us a glimpse of what to expect in the movie. Ok, Argento, you got me hook, line, and sinker. I was excited, and that feeling resurfaced when I saw the movie years ago. 

A time jump brings us to the present time, 2001, where a sex worker is making plans over the telephone with what seems to be a client she is preparing to meet. The next scene cuts to a full-frontal nude woman in distress while pleading with an unseen “trick,” who seems to have requested her to do something lewd. This unseen individual in the scene is no ordinary “trick” as he/she disguises their appearance and a voice introduces us to the antagonist. When the sex worker stumbles upon paperwork, she uncovers evidence that her recent client is a serial killer, setting the stage for the second kill of the film. This “entanglement“ is the beginning of the killer’s journey.

Sleepless starts with a bang and barely slows down to let us catch our collective breaths, something I can appreciate. Is it perfect? Far from it. But it is one entertaining movie and kept me engaged for its entire runtime. Max von Sydow is a pleasure to watch as the aged and retired detective Moretti. His dominating screen presence lends a specific charm to the film. His performance drew me further into the film’s narrative. In Dario Argento fashion, the gore and kill scenes are disturbing, gory, and memorable; they reminded me of why I love this style of Giallo.

The story is, at times, incoherent, and the killers’ motivation is lackluster. But unlike classic Giallo fashion, the killer kills for the sake of killing, or so it would seem. Eventually, we learn of the killer’s intention, which is to torment the main protagonist, Giacomo (Stefano Dionisi), who witnessed the murder of his mother by the same killer when he was a child. Now, in the present time, a series of killings resemble the murders of the past, baiting Giacomo to return to town to see if he can shed some light on who murdered his mother.

Sleepless is rife with twists and turns that will have you guessing who the killer is right up to the end. But, be forewarned, Argento always has tricks up his sleeve, and one of his motive operandi is fooling his audience into making you think you know what is happening and then pulling the rug from under your feet. Argento’s direction is always a pleasure to watch, at least in his earlier days behind the camera. Sleepless is one of his better films before the magic dwindled. There are some great shots in the movie that highlight a certain narrative with style while at the same time having other shots that, while nice-looking, served no apparent purpose other than to utilize a crane shot while highlighting Goblin’s wonderful soundtrack. Sleepless, with its flaws, is an absolute blast! I am glad I revisited this one and look forward to revisiting some of Argento’s impressive catalog of films.