Death Rage-Con La Rabbia Agli Occhi
Written by Joe D on July 15th, 2026
The great Antonio Margheriti directed this Naples/New York Crime film.
Antonio Margheriti
It starred Yul Brynner in what turned out to be his last film role.It also starred the lovely Barbara Bouchet, who I had the pleasure of having dinner with before a double bill of her films at the New Beverly. She was very nice.
She has said that Yul was difficult and she did not like working with him. Too Bad.
He is such a unique talent. He’s a musician, plays the guitar and sings. He was also one of the first Live TV directors in NYC. Sydney Lumet was his assistant and looked up to him like a God. Then he started acting and directing went by the wayside. An amazing screen presence, really unique. This film is kind of a ripoff of the Charles Bronson movie The Mechanic. But I actually think I like the ending in this one better. It’s more Italian I guess. Martin Balsam also appears as the beleagured Cheif of Police and turns in his usual solid performance. Maybe Yul was already sick from the disease that would kill him a few years later, maybe that’s why he was hard to get along with. I don’t know, I think he signed a 2 picture deal with Margheriti but they never made the second one. For me Margheriti is at his best in Outer Space, making SciFi operas on a shoestring budget that look amazing.
Supposedly Stanley Kubrick called him to work on 2001 but Margheriti said No. He did wind up working on Andy Warhols Frankenstein, there’s a bit of controversy about who directed what between him and Paul Morrissey. I should have asked Udo Kier when I met him but I didn’t think of it. Anyway this film mainly appeals to me because it is Yul Brynner’s last. I don’t know it gives it an even more melancholy feel than the ususal Italian Melancholy vibe. And as I said I like the ending, it felt a bit tagged on at first but it paid off with an unexpected emotional twinge. So check it out if you’re a fan of Yul or Antonio or Barbara.