Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

gavin6942 A chief of detectives (Gian Maria Volontè), homicide section, kills his mistress (Florinda Bolkan) and deliberately leaves clues to prove his own responsibility for the crime.I absolutely loved this film. It is part crime thriller, part detective story, and a bit of political corruption. Being Italian and having an Italian sensibility, it reminded me more than a little bit of the giallo film genre. But yet, it was distinct. The giallo is in some ways the precursor to the slasher, and this was not that sort of film -- not gory and the killer is not a masked and gloved man.What really stands out is the score from Ennio Morricone. He has made many scores over the years and without exception they have been quite good. Is he the best composer of the 20th century? Maybe. And I would daresay this is among his very best, easily in the top three. The score alone makes the film worth watching.

lathe-of-heaven After reading all these glowing praise filled reviews, I kind of feel like either I'm not very bright or I must have missed something.Don't get me wrong, the idea for the film is clever. I think though what it is about the movie that leaves me somewhat dissatisfied is, as another reviewer here mentioned, that it comes across as very one dimensional and one-note in it's presentation.People here are saying 'This is the greatest of Italian Cinema'... Well, I can immediately think of at least 10 Italian films right off the top that I like a HELL of a lot better than this one. There are some truly Classic Italian Gialli to die for, but that's just me... I guess I must apparently be missing something. Like many other reviewers here, I KNOW that the point of the film is that in a kind of Kafka-esque way the highly placed bureaucrat CANNOT get himself caught even though he is compelled to tell his men to 'do their job!' Thus the clear title of the film. And, as also mentioned here, I KNOW it is about the Fascism of the state, etc... So, the premise itself is indeed quite novel and interesting.I don't know... I just didn't really find it that entertaining personally. I thought what it was trying to get across was a good point, but EXTREMELY simple and not really that interesting, at least to me. And the soundtrack... EVERYONE is just about foaming at the mouth at how this is the BEST Morricone score EVER! Well, I don't see it. That annoying spring 'Boing' sound every frigg'n 20 seconds gets VERY, VERY old after a while. I found it annoying and not at all likable or 'Brilliant', sorry...And, although the performance of the lead character was excellent and he obviously did an outstanding job in his role, still, overall, I just couldn't get into the film at any level. There was nothing special I felt about the screenplay or dialog that was clever or memorable; I didn't find the overall plot or story that interesting, although the idea itself was rather unique and possibly COULD have been much more involving. It just came across to me like the same note being played over and over and over...It appears that in this case, just about every one else here is at odds with me about this movie, but what I primarily look for is whether a film is ENJOYABLE & ENTERTAINING; I'm afraid that I just don't feel that this was the case here. When I review films, I put that particular parameter FIRST above all others; in other words, no matter what the genre or even whether I particularly like it or not, I try to put myself in the place of the average movie-goer (or movie lover) and try to determine firstly if the film was truly entertaining or engaging in any way. And, after 2 long hours of this one, I just felt that I really wish I had chosen something else to watch...I admit, I may very well be missing the point of this movie. OR... possibly the particular style in which this film was made just simply doesn't resonate with me personally. So, the honest recommendation from me would be to suggest that you read numerous detailed reviews here to get a better overall picture of WHY many here DO like this movie and then judge for yourselves. But, I just wanted to include my personal take on it in case there are others who might possibly have a similar reaction to this film that I did...

GManfred Our Hero knocks off his girl friend almost immediately as he is promoted to Police Commissioner. But it was not to celebrate his promotion - he is trying to see if he can get caught, or if he is now, in fact, above suspicion. Hedging his bets, he spends a great deal of time covering his tracks in his effort to get caught/not get caught.Gian Maria Volonte gives a hypnotic performance as the Ego Cop. Strutting and preening, he is in nearly every scene as he barks at subordinates and, in flashbacks, engages in sex with his soon-to-be-dead girlfriend, who, by the way, is a knockout. Seemed like a terrible waste of feminine pulchritude, to borrow a phrase from W.C. Fields.The pacing is good and director Elio Petri keeps the action moving at a good clip. Speaking for myself, I thought the picture hit a few false notes in the character makeup of its hero. For a man convinced he is in the clear he turns cowardly and abject when confronted by the only one who could be a witness against him - this, from a macho Alpha male? I also thought it was interesting to note the counterpoint and the hypocrisy in the theme of Democracy as an ideal, as opposed to its practical application throughout the story. Do as we say, not as we do.Good picture, but as I often think, another foreign film that has been overrated by critics and audiences trying not to appear unsophisticated, and that has now achieved cult status after winning an Oscar.

Gerald A. DeLuca (Includes spoilers) Elio Petri made many trenchant political and social satires. Among the best of these were "We Still Kill the Old Way," about a professor who fruitlessly and fatally takes on the Mafia; "The Working Class Goes to Heaven," about the dehumanizing impact of factory life on the individual; and "Todo Modo," a brutal attack on the Christian-Democratic rule of post-war Italy. Petri was a member of the Italian Communist Party.In "Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion" he dissects corruption at different levels of Italian society. His main character is a police inspector who kills his mistress while they have sex. She acts out fantasies for him of famous crimes. "How will you kill me this time?" she asks. "I'll cut your throat," he says. A few minutes later he slices her throat with a razor.She had taunted him for his sexual inadequacy, a condition which unnerves him, but what motivates him to commit the murder is the sense that as new head of political intelligence (coming from the homicide division) he can feel confident in being "above suspicion." He places deliberate and obvious clues everywhere. While holding himself above the law, however, he wants to test its effectiveness and actively takes part in the investigation.At first the police focus on the dead woman's homosexual husband and then on an anarchist student with whom she is having an affair. The inspector comes to realize that the conviction of an innocent man will not guarantee his own immunity from the law. So he must concoct a test, which if his superiors deny it, will be the ultimate test of his power. "Investigation" is really a portrait of deranged right-wing fascistic power, with its easy enemies of gays and leftists.Appearing almost completely unemotional beneath an often stormy exterior, Gian Maria Volonte' gives a stunning portrayal of a complex paranoid character entirely dedicated to upholding the law. Yet he is brazenly willing to use his authority for his own ends, logic be damned.This film caused a furor in Italy because of its unflattering portrayal of the police. Its real strength lies in is psychological insight into the deranged quest for power: personal, sexual, political. The movie won the Academy Award for best foreign film in 1970.