Absolutely the worst movie.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

When people ask me why I'm so fanatic about Italian cinema, I always refer to the beautiful Gothic horrors of Mario Bava, the outrageous splatter flicks of Lucio Fulci, the virulent Poliziotesschi thrillers of Umberto Lenzi or the stylish Gialli of Dario Argento. Quite often, however, this still isn't sufficient to persuade them of the fact that Italy is the best film-producing country in history. Perhaps if I refer more directly to the political drama/thrillers of Eli Petri, and particularly "Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion", they will finally understand… "Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion" won the Academy Award for best foreign language film in 1971, but according to the data here on this website the film received another nomination in 1972 in the category "best original screenplay". I don't know how it's possible for the same film to get nominated in two different years, but I can state that winning a prize for the screenplay is even more justified and deserved than winning for the overall best film. The story and screenplay are definitely the most brilliant aspects of this movie. The basic story idea is perhaps even the most purely genius one that I have ever encountered; and I think I've seen more than 5.000 films… The plot is about a police detective, formerly homicide department but now promoted to political supervision squad, who kills his mistress in cold blood and deliberately leaves all sorts of clues (fingerprints, footprints, clothing fibers…) behind in the apartment that unmistakably lead to him as the culprit. Why? Because he's convinced that he will get away with this murder and never get arrested regardless of how obviously all the evidence points towards him. And why is that? Because, apart from being the most arrogant and obnoxious person in the world, 'Il Dottore' is also a very prominent, powerful and influential member of the community. … And the corrupt Italian political system simply doesn't allow for respectable citizens like him to be accused of filthy crimes such as murder. Perhaps it's just me, but I still get blown away myself every time I mention this plot concept to anyone! It's such a clever, courageous and 200% unconventional subject, and the incredibly gifted Elio Petri processed it into a harsh but unforgettable and intelligent thriller/satire. The film ends with a quote of Franz Kafka that sums up the whole thing quite neatly, but most viewers will already have made the comparison with Kafka earlier during the film as well. "Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion" certainly has a couple of defaults, but other and more essential aspects are impeccably brilliant. Notably the screenplay, as mentioned already, but surely also the unique performance of Gian Maria Volontè as "Il Dottore". Volontè depicts what is arguably the most loathsome and disturbing protagonist in cinematic history, and that includes serial killers, mass murderers and 10ft tall alien monsters! His arrogance and menace is unequaled and for that alone Volontè also should have received an Oscar. Florinda Bolkan as the victim, primarily appearing in flashback sequences, is terrific as well. She's sensual, playfully provocative and – in her own self- destructive fashion – even more powerful than "Il Dottore". Last but not least, there's another truly masterful score by Ennio Morricone. If the music initially seems goofy or misfit to the tone of the film, just bear with it and I guarantee that you'll be hooked on it forever after.

If Alfred Hitchcock had been Italian, he might have directed something like this."Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion" (which has to be one of the clunkiest titles ever created for a movie and which I have to believe is due to it's being translated) is a nail biter about a police official who murders his lover in cold blood and then practically dares his colleagues to arrive at him as a suspect. The film is an examination of authority and its abuse, and it's easy to read into it, especially given Italy's fascist history, a criticism of societies that allow themselves to turn into authoritarian police states. But the film is far from a bloodless essay. On the contrary, it's sensational, tense and darkly humorous and anchored by a tremendous performance by Gian Maria Volonte, whose blend of sexiness, menace and ultimately vulnerability is one of the most interesting characterizations I've seen in a movie for a long time.The final moments of the film include a dream sequence that sends the film into the surreal territory of Bunuel, and I couldn't help but be a tad disappointed that it didn't have the chutzpah to make that ending the real one and not a dream. The ending as it is is fine, but the alternate one would have cemented the film's place not only as one of the best crime thrillers ever put to screen (which it certainly is) but also one of the best satires as well.Grade: A

There is an epilogue, appropriately enough from Kafka, because this is the story of a bureaucrat who is highly placed in the police hierarchy and can't seem to convince anyone that he's committed the murder of a whore he was having a relationship with. And in the end the family nonchalantly sweeps out the dead bug.Gian Maria Volonte is the recently promoted head of the homicide squad. At first I thought his performance was stereotypical. He struts around with a smirk, shouts orders, demands that the espresso coffee machine be removed, pursues and uses enhanced interrogation on demonstrators, communists, socialists, homosexuals, and kids with long hair. (This is 1970.) The hooker he's boffing turns out to be a police buff and loves to be "interrogated" harshly by Volonte. He makes her kneel, slaps her about, and talks her into revealing her most shameful secrets.But then, whimsically, she throws him over for someone else, claiming that he's not manly enough for her, that he's a baby who probably still wets the bed -- so he cuts her throat. He deliberately leaves clues to his identity all over the crime scene.So far, so routine. He's so ridden with guilt over his actions that he wants to be caught. In addition he's a stern representative of oppressive power hectoring the young. We've seen this before.But at about the half way mark things begin to get a little screwy. His colleagues believe that since he is a man of such prestige and power, all the clues must be coincidental and misleading, even the most obvious. When his prints are found on a liqueur glass, a subordinate "remembers" Volante taking a drink to calm his nerves. For what it's worth, this is called "normalization" in sociology, a process in which incidents that don't quite fit the expected narrative are reinterpreted in such a way that they do.As the story progresses Volonte's efforts to inculpate himself become more frenzied. He dismisses others who might be obvious suspects. He reveals himself as the murderer to a frightened plumber. Nothing works.By the end, he's confessed openly to his superiors and then gone home to await arrest. A dozen big wigs arrive and tear up the evidence, claiming that he must be neurotic because he's worked too hard. That scene seems to have taken place only in Volonte's imagination because eventually the same big wigs really DO arrive -- or seem to -- and he joins them in the lobby, presses a button, and an elevator we never knew was there begins to lift them all silently to an upper story. It's a surreal departure from the relatively realistic plot that we've been following.I found it a little annoying at times. I understand Volonte's role calls for bombast but, Cripes, what a lot of close ups of shouting faces. Everybody shouts at everybody else. Everybody walks quickly. It's exhausting to watch and listen to, except that Ennio Morricone's musical score is both subtle and apt. The first two thirds would have made a good B feature in Hollywood back in the 40s. That last third -- well, make of it what you will.

When the movie starts, a man meets with his lover, and while they begin to have sex, he slits her throat. After washing in the bathroom, he's careful to leave his foot and fingerprints in conspicuous places, and places a thread from his tie under his victim's fingernails.We then learn that he is the chief of homicide, who's been promoted to a job in political intelligence. The questions remain, why did he murder her, and why did he leave clues implicating himself?Through flashbacks, we get some idea of what his relationship with the woman was. We also see that some other people become suspects. However, he is in charge of the investigation, and periodically presents even more evidence pointing to himself.An unusual story. I'm not sure I understood the ending. The video I watched was dubbed in English, and subtitled in Dutch. Perhaps if there is a release of a copy in Italian with new English subtitles, it will be possible to understand the story better.