Deadly Sweet (1967)

Deadly Sweet is a sleek, strange little 1967 thriller that feels like a nocturnal fever dream—London nightclubs, sudden danger, and a romance that doubles as a dare to keep watching. Tinto Brass directs with a stylish, restless eye, turning a simple “wrong place, wrong time” encounter into a propulsive chase where every alleyway and new face suggests another layer of deceit. Jean‑Louis Trintignant makes Bernard an appealingly human anchor—wary, impulsive, and quietly decent—while the film’s mystery keeps tightening its grip as bodies pile up and trust becomes the rarest currency. It’s not for everyone, especially given the presence of nude material involving a performer who was 16 during filming, but if you can’t resist vintage Euro-thrillers with bold atmosphere and a taste for the offbeat, this one has a wicked pull.

Deadly Sweet wants to be a chic, jet-set London mystery with a breathless “on the run” romance and a piling-up-of-bodies whodunit, and you can see Tinto Brass reaching for stylish, slightly surreal noir. The problem is that the plotting can feel more like a series of loosely connected chases and twists than a satisfying puzzle, and the tone swings between playful and grim in a way that may leave you more puzzled than intrigued. It’s also hard to recommend casually because it includes nude scenes involving Ewa Aulin filmed when she was 16, which many viewers will (rightly) find uncomfortable regardless of context. If you’re here for tight thriller mechanics and clean moral footing, skip it; if you’re a Trintignant completist or a Euro-cult viewer curious about Brass’s early, sleazier edges and period atmosphere, you may find some moody charm despite the mess.