Verdict
Summary
Reminding me of Kafka’s The Trial, Weak Spot feels like it’s set in some kind of dystopian world where strange things have happened and people have very limited rights and options, and with its head-spinning plot and meticulous curves in its plot, the film ends up in a place I didn’t expect. While it’s sometimes very perplexing and confusing, the film remains compelling as a thriller.
Plot:
A bystander is arrested and charged with crimes that seem outlandish. When he’s escorted to Greece for further questioning, things get interesting when he turns out to be adept at the game of turning the tables on his accusers.
Review:
The secret service chase down a guy who seems to be in some kind of hot water, and instead of allowing himself to get caught, the man jumps out of his building, committing suicide. There’s a witness to the event, and that man is a middle-aged guy named Georgis (played by Ugo Tognazzi) who’s just minding his own business. Georgis is having a nice sexual affair with an attractive woman, and he leaves her apartment and goes for coffee at the cafe nearby when another man steps on his foot while walking by. Was it an accident? Or was it a deliberate action, meant to implicate him in some kind of espionage game to get the secret service off the other man’s trail? Before he knows it, Georgis is arrested because of the foot-stepping incident. Or is it because he may be the only one who witnessed the suicide earlier? Either way, he is being interrogated by the secret service. He’s forced to strip, dress like a prisoner, and endlessly grilled with a cycle of questions he doesn’t know the answers to. What kind of world is this where an innocent man is treated in such a way? When Georgis is put in the care of several other men to be transported to Greece for further questioning, the journey takes some very interesting twists and turns as Georgis turns out to be incredibly crafty and deft at turning the tables on the men in charge of his well being. He completely takes charge of the entire operation, becoming the mastermind in how and when he’ll be delivered … because he has no intention whatsoever in being delivered at all.
Reminding me of Kafka’s The Trial, Weak Spot feels like it’s set in some kind of dystopian world where strange things have happened and people have very limited rights and options, and with its head-spinning plot and meticulous curves in its plot, the film ends up in a place I didn’t expect. While it’s sometimes very perplexing and confusing, the film remains compelling as a thriller. Director Peter Fleischmann keeps the wheels spinning, and lead actor Tognazzi is certainly not what I would consider a cool or tough type of performer; in fact, he’s completely average and ordinary, which makes the film that much more relatable, if not sensational. While not necessarily for everyone’s tastes, here’s an unusual espionage-type thriller with a twist.
Radiance recently pulled out all the stops for this premium Blu-ray release of Weak Spot in a limited edition release. The 4K restoration is superb, with some bonus features that manage to engage and enthrall just as much as the film itself.
Bonus Materials
- New 4K restoration from the original negative by Studio Canal
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio
- Audio commentary by critic Travis Woods (2024)
- Archival TV interview with Michel Piccoli discussing Weak Spot (1975)
- Soundtrack expert Lovely Jon discusses the Ennio Morricone score (2024)
- Newly improved English subtitle translation
- Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Kat Ellinger
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
