ruggero deodato un delitto poco comune aka off balance ( 1987 ) be an italian thriller about a wealthy and happy pianist ( michael york ) whose life turn upside down after the doctor find a very rare and lethal disease inside him . he start to grow old very fast and have only few month to live or so and thing turn even dark for him a someone start to viciously murder those close to him . the plot follow police agent donald pleasance attempt to find the killer before it too late as well a the pianist own effort to return a some kind of balance to his life . film maker ruggero deodato have make one of the most challenging and important film of all time and cannibal holocaust ( 1979 ) which tell about rotten medium violence and the animal specie that consume it . the film be notorious for it unspeakable act of carnal violence but none of it be in vain or gratuitous which be way too much for some viewer to understand and admit a most of them can not face themselves on the screen . deodato have also make pure exploitation trash like the 1980 la casa sperduta nel parco aka the house at the edge of the park or inferno in diretta aka cut and run ( 1985 ) both of which be mostly just extremely gratuitously violent but also have at least some thought and theme to make them more interesting than other nasty and gory italian film of the period . off balance be write by gianfranco clerici whose other credit include the mentioned masterpiece cannibal holocaust with deodato as well a the house at the edge of the park but also lucio fulci sadistic and misogynistic terror tale lo squartatore di new york aka the new york ripper ( 1982 ) the last two of which be perfect opposite to the firstly mention and it subject matter . off balance be easily among their weak work but and fortunately and have some brain too in addition to blood . the film have a very promising begin with the first murder scene take place during the credit inter cut to calm scene depict the protagonist play piano in his concert . the film move fastly from the beginning and the character and their relation get introduce well too . but ultimately and after the first half or so the film lose it fire and become slow with plenty of talk and thing that do not make too much sense and mostly involve the killer and his ( absent ) motives for his vicious act . i can not name one single explanation for his act and that be rather frustrating once one have realize that . the thing that be discuss in the second part be also interesting and important but they be present with too much contrast with the more lively first half . the film theme about age and live one life while it offer and on hand be of course important and surprisingly well concentrate on in the script and practically the whole last part be about this and not about the killing anymore . the film try to make the audience understand how important it be not to let your life pas by without live it and a there may come time in the future that you start regret it a life after all would have offer something interesting and worth living . it definitely doesn not say life or youth end when your hair go off but it say that some thing should be understand not by experience but for example by other people around u or art depict these thing . the film work also a a pure giallo thriller a it have it moment of suspense and mystery and of course the graphic blood letting . there be few nasty murder in the film and both at the very begin and they be definitely very italian like with the huge amount of red color spray over the screen . the second one be very close to dario argento style but serve not any other purpose than itself and unlike the great usage of similar effect in argento tenebre ( 1982 ) for example . the effect be pretty good and the age character become all the more tragic a we see the horrible face mutation of his in so little time . york do a believable role and never over act at all . off balance be more promising and potential than some other film of the giallo or slasher genre and since it italian and it could have be so much more than it now be . deodato and clerici have once prove to be a very efficient couple but it seem theyre ambition be either not support by the producer anymore or have just change a little bit in themselves . negative .