Obsession. A wealthy and successful man loses both his wife and daughter in a kidnapping gone tragically wrong. 20 years later he's in Rome on business when he encounters a young woman who is the spitting image of his late wife. Becoming obsessed with her, he begins to court her and after a whirlwind romance whisks her off to the US with the intention of marrying her... only for her to disappear, with a ransom note left behind... This mid 70s thriller is an early effort from famed director Brian De Palma and is a pretty solid piece. It gets off to a strong start, though the mid-section does meander a little and threaten to make you go "Is there a point to this?" before a killer reveal and climax. The back of the Blu ray states the film has "an evil twist" and they're not kidding. The moment he turned up, I knew John Lithgow - as the lead's "best friend" and business partner, was guilty of something - I mean, it's John Lithgow, and in a De Palma movie - but what he does to the two people in this film is one of the most coldbloodedly evil and twisted things I've ever seen. The strength of that twist and climax just about make up for that meandering midsection and make this an enjoyable film.
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