Synopsis: A black-gloved killer stalks London, packing the suitcases of their victims before murdering them with an exotic dagger. Surrounded by potential suspects but lacking hard evidence, a smooth-talking Inspector seeks the help of famous crime-novelist.
Stars: Horst Tappert, Fred Williams, Barbara Rütting, Siegfried Schürenberg, Jess Franco, Beni Cardoso
Director: Jess Franco
Rated: NR
Running Length: 80 minutes
Disc Review in Brief: Even Jess Franco had off days. Death Packs a Suitcase is a languid, lifeless krimi that only Franco completists need investigate, though Kino Cult’s transfer is commendably clean.
Review:
Jess Franco directed over 200 films during his prolific career. With numbers like that, some were bound to be duds. Death Packs a Suitcase (also known as Der Todesrächer von Soho) lands firmly in that category. Made during Franco’s German period after parting ways with longtime producer Harry Alan Towers, this krimi film finds the Spanish auteur working in conventional mystery territory. The results are surprisingly flat from a director who previously turned heads with titles like She Killed in Ecstasy and Kiss Me Monster.
A black-gloved killer stalks London, packing victims’ suitcases (how nice!) before dispatching them with a thrown knife. Inspector Ruppert Redford (Fred Williams) investigates alongside crime novelist Charles Barton (Horst Tappert). The plot involves stolen mescaline (a sure sign you were in 1972), shady nightclub owners, and a killer whose identity remains hidden until the finale. On paper, it sounds like classic crime story material. In execution, it’s strangely limp and lifeless.
Franco built his reputation on decadent sex thrillers and surrealist horror. Films like Vampyros Lesbos crackled with transgressive energy. However, Death Packs a Suitcase scales back almost everything that made his work distinctive. The murders are brief and bloodless — quick knife throws with minimal impact. The rhythm drags considerably, moving slower than even Franco’s typically unhurried approach, making the 80-minute runtime feel considerably longer. The cast delivers flat, forgettable work across the board — not a single memorable turn among them.
What Franco does deliver, as always, is visual style. The film looks exceptional. Even when his narratives faltered, Franco rarely made an ugly picture. There’s also his signature nightclub sequence, a staple of his filmography. But style without substance only carries a film so far. The mystery’s only real accomplishment is keeping the killer’s identity concealed until the credits roll. That’s faint praise for a murder mystery, though, when it’s part of the order of business.
Kino Lorber’s genre label Kino Cult presents the film with a strong transfer. The image is clean and detailed, capturing the European locations attractively. The sole extra is an audio commentary by film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson. Their track provides informative context for Franco’s German period and this film’s place within his massive filmography. For Franco completists, that commentary alone may justify the purchase because Kino has, per usual, recruited the right people for the job.
Franco fans will likely find it an interesting curiosity, but Death Packs a Suitcase proves that even prolific genre geniuses have off days. Everyone else can safely skip this particular trip. If you are feeling adventurous, see if it’s playing on Kino’s streaming service first then come back and buy the physical copy.
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