The krimi genre kicked off in 1959 and in the 60s it was one of the mainstays of the German film industry. Rialto Studio made more than thirty of these movies. When rival studio CCC decided they wanted to get into the act they had a problem. They didn’t have the rights to Wallace’s novels. They solved that problem very cleverly by buying the rights to the novels of Wallace’s son Bryan Edgar Wallace who was at the time a successful thriller writer. CCC really only wanted the right to use the titles and the author’s name and their adaptations had little in common with the books. In this case, almost nothing in common.
The setting is London and one of the great things about the krimis is that they’re set in England but it’s an imaginary England based mostly on old British movies and detective novels.
There’s been a series of murders. In each case the victim finds his suitcase mysteriously packed. This is a tactic designed to terrify the victim - he knows he is now next on the murder list.
The murder weapon is a knife, thrown with uncanny accuracy.
Inspector Ruppert Redford of Scotland Yard (Fred Williams) gets some advice from his friend, the famous crime writer Charles Barton (Horst Tappert) and Barton plays a major part in the events to come.
Dr Bladmore (played by krimi legend Siegfried Schürenberg) always seems to be at hand when the murders take place.
There are several glamorous women and we cannot be sure which ones will turn out to be dangerous and treacherous but we’re confident that at least one will fall into that category.
This being a krimi there’s a comic relief character. In the 60s such a role would have been played by Eddi Arendt but in this case we have Luis Morris as news photographer Andy Pickwick and the good news is that he is genuinely amusing, he isn’t annoying and he has an actual plot function.
The plot is convoluted but don’t let that worry you. The krimi genre is like the giallo - what matters is that the plot should be outrageous and twisted. Despite what some people will tell you this movie’s plot does make sense.
The brisk pacing helps.
Franco made a whole bunch of lighthearted fun crime/adventure/spy romps in the late 60s and early 70s. You can call them Franco Lite but it’s something he enjoyed and he did have a flair for it.
This is, quite seriously, a visually dazzling movie. There’s hardly a scene that is shot in a dull conventional manner. Franco is constantly looking for ways to make things look interesting, with clever use of the wide-angle lens and camera angles (and especially low-angle shots) that make sets look slightly distorted and menacing and claustrophobic.
This does not come across as gimmicky - it’s a very valid and effective approach in a krimi. Krimis were heavily style-oriented and this is a very stylish movie.
Outdoor shots look misty and hazy which is of course what a German audience would think England looks like and it adds a slightly spooky vibe which works.
Fred Williams makes a likeable charismatic hero. The cast members are pretty good overall.
Death Packs a Suitcase is a very pleasant surprise. This is top-tier Franco and it’s hugely enjoyable. Highly recommended.
The Kino Lorber Blu-Ray release is excellent. Incidentally the 4:3 aspect ratio is correct: that’s how the movie was shot.
I’ve reviewed Bryan Edgar Wallace’s Death Packs a Suitcase. And I’ve reviewed lots of krimis. The Red Circle (Der rote Kreis, 1960) is a fine early example. Another late krimi worth seeing is Umberto Lenzi’s Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1972), a kind of krimi/giallo hybrid.
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