Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970) User Reviews

Investigation on a movie above its notoriety .

[frippertronic81 · 9/10 · 29 June 2005]

"Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sopetto" ("Investigation of a citizen above suspicion") is a surrealistic police-story directed by the Italian film-maker Elio Petri in 1970 .

A very original screenplay tells us the story of a respected police inspector who commits a crime and deliberately leaves clues just to find out how big is his reputation of "a citizen above suspicion" . The theme is developed from this single event and becomes an intelligent and provocative reflection about the concepts of authority and institution . While some could wrongly see this movie as a left-wing political one because of the way it depicts police authorities' excessive power , It is really only a fair illustration denouncing the impotence of institutions of making an impartial investigation about their own mistakes . The main theme of the movie rises up a brilliant and paradoxical question : how can the organs which administrate the "Law" condemn themselves without risking their own collapse and negation ? To this question the movie answers with the pessimistic vision that a real justice is an utopia because of human-beings' weaknesses and self-preservative nature . This brilliant reflection is developed in an highly entertaining and smoothly constructed satirical police-story : in fact the movie has an overwhelming "funny" tone especially thanks to Gian Maria Volonte' superb acting in the main role of the "fascistoid" police inspector . The ending will surprise you with the way it reveals the surrealistic nature of the whole topic .

Even if this movie was highly awarded and acclaimed at its time , (1 Oscar for Best foreign film , 1 Nomination for Best original screenplay , won Grand Prize of the Jury and Golden Palm nomination at Cannes Films Festival , 1 Golden globe nomination ) at the present days it has been criminally forgotten . I can only add that I personally consider it one of the best Italian films ever made and one of the most provocative police-stories in the last 40 years . Unfortunately it suffers of a very poor international distribution so , unless you live in Italy , it won't be easy for you to find this movie . But it doesn't matter how hard it will be , it will be worth it .

You are not a horse

[petra_ste · 8/10 · 27 August 2007]

Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto is probably the most original detective story ever made, since the protagonist is, at the same time, the only one who is really trying to solve the case AND the murderer.

I have not spoiled anything: it happens right at the beginning. An Italian police inspector (Volonté) murders his lover and, in a sort of challenge towards the law, leaves many clues incriminating himself; while his colleagues investigate the case, he begins showing up where he isn't supposed to, mentioning details he should keep quiet about and, in general, trying to prove how a person in his position will always be sure of his impunity, regardless of what he does.

The social satire is bitterly effective. For example, there is a brilliant little scene between the protagonist and his chief. With fake naiveté the inspector admits he knew the victim, and asks the chief if he should mention it to the detectives following the case. There is a brief pause and then the chief, with a smug and vastly amused grin, lets the matter drop, shakes hand with the inspector and wishes him a good day. It's wonderfully subtle.

The best scene, however, has to be the interrogation of a seedy youth who suspects the protagonist but refuses to cooperate with the police. The contrast between the inspector's spoken words ("You are a democratic citizen! And I must respect you!") and his malevolent tone, body language and methods is spine-chilling.

Gian Maria Volonté, best known outside Italy as the villain in the first two movies of Leone's Dollar Trilogy, carries the movie with an exceptional performance. His inspector is probably one of the most despicable main characters ever seen; and yet, his mesmerizing portrayal captures our attention. He is a complex, crazed individual: loud-mouthed, sardonic and obnoxiously jovial in public, but secretly cold, creepy and reptilian. An Oscar-worthy turn.

8/10

Gian Maria Volonte is the soul of this Thrilling, Intelligent and Politically Incorrect Masterpiece ...

[ElMaruecan82 · 9/10 · 9 January 2011]

Authority, Order, Power, these are Law's three pillars. Law protects citizens and defends them against crime. Law is made of values and incarnated by men. Those men serve Law, serve citizens and the mission's nobility lies on the fact that it applies to anyone. That's the basis of democracy and the strength of Law. No one is above it. Therefore, in a fair system, anyone can be theoretically suspect. But, the weakness of Law is that it paradoxically implies the use of its main dual medium : repression and punishment which are, after all, the only way to protect the good citizens ... as potential victims. So let's say to make it simpler that Law has two arms, one holding a shield to protect the good citizens and the other holding a sword to punish the bad ones.

One man, called Il Dottore, is holding the sword. He was the former Head of Homicide Squad and leads now the Political Bureau of the Italian Security Court. His speech in the beginning of the film, clearly announces him as a man with palpable fascist tendencies, although the overuse of the word 'fascist' kind of weakens its meaning. This man, incarnated by Gian Maria Volonte, exults the value of a powerful state above any consideration of individual rights. The state must be powerful, authoritarian and any ideas that threaten Law and Order, should be mercilessly fought. It's too simplistic to call this 'fascism', some would say fascism was born in Italy, which would explain that the ideas of a man like Il Dottore could be impregnated by a certain fascist vision but they'd be forgetting that Italy is also the country of Machiavelli, and the whole plot of this psychological political thriller could be considered as a deep, Machiavellian character study.

Il Dottore is fascist in his beliefs and Machiavelian in his acts, two contradictions that totally cancel each other out and makes him more of a very interesting pathological case of egomania. The man wants to prove that the very system that maintains Law and Order, Police and Justice, is flawed because it ensures the existence of citizens beyond suspicion. This man wants to denounce the main obstacle, the thing that makes his job ethically useless. The mission sounds noble... except that the way he chose to prove his point is the act of a maniac. A crime to denounce, to make the point he himself incarnates, that there are some citizens above suspicion. So high above this suspicion that they can leave clues to denounce themselves without never being worried. Because people believe in men who incarnate order. Power's aura seems more efficient than its use. Power relies on its own abuse.

And that's the theme of the film. What is power? Il Dottore incarnates it with such charisma and virile magnetism that whatever comes off his mouth sounds like the truth. If he says he's guilty, it can't be anything but irony or sarcasm. The simple thought that he could be guilty of the crime he committed sounds like a blasphemy. Indeed, the power is a deified notion. And like the power of God is perceived in our everyday life, the same goes for Law. Order is real, and can't be based on abstraction. The paradox is that an abstraction is not palpable enough to be respected. Fear of punishment controls people more than interests, as said Machiavelli. Therefore, it is no surprise that socialism is considered as an escapism from individual interests and therefore can understand only one language : repression. Il Dottore handles the questioning of the left-wing activists just as if he had personal reasons to fight them, because they're the most likely people to legitimate the use of repressive violence.

Indeed, it is personal. Jealousy, weakness, humiliation, power is represented by men, who are flawed. This is a brilliant character study of a man using power as an artifice to disguise his weaknesses. He's the Law but he's a citizen, he's power and he's powerless. His interactions with his victim totally deconstruct the character, and extinguish the aura and prestige he incarnates for his men. With this woman, his authority is like the toy the little boy proudly shows. Power allows him to run a red light or share some gross crime-related experiences, so voyeur it sounds childish. They're big children but they have the power. So, whom the power belongs to ? Women? Anarchists? Who's the leader? the system ? No, what leads the world is only human judgment ... The truth is in its appearance and this is what guides human perception.

Il Dottore denounces these fallacious perceptions in such an original way, we also can't believe this man has this status and is so respected, which makes us question the legitimacy of some our leaders ... after all, men are men, and behind every great man, there's a woman, and who really knows how these so-called great men behave with these women? Gian Maria Volonte gives us a hint through an extraordinary performance. In the cinematic world of character studies, Il Dottore is a living paradox highlighting our own weaknesses as men who believe in a system of powers, or our owns for the luckiest ones. His charisma makes him all the more pathetic in some key scenes and his pathos more admirable in some others. Elio Petri's investigation is a fascinating political thriller whose introspectively paranoid feeling is sublimated by Ennio Morricone's score.

"Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion" is an intelligent masterpiece denouncing the paradoxical nature of Law where the holders of the sword tend to fight those who hide themselves behind the shield while the shield protects only those who use the sword. Gian Maria Volonte is the soul of this contradiction.

Everyone is GUILTY when the legitimate abuse of violence happens (esp. those on top)

[imagineallthenames · 10/10 · 21 July 2006]

Some comments in light of previous descriptions of the movie.

This movie is definitively about state violence. Even if to a viewer that has no foreknowledge of the police state that was instituted in Italy (with the help of the CIA as the movie alludes to) in order to keep the Communist Party from taking power (the PCI had the biggest following of any parties at that time), the fact remains that the movie is not much more surreal than the socio-political reality facing the film-maker.

Murders and "suicides" (while in police custody) of left-wing political activists and of anarchists are a fact that Elio Petri was painfully aware of. He made a documentary called "Streghi dello stato" "witches of the state" where Jean Maria Volonte and others expose such "suicides". Elio Petri was politically aware and through out his work there is criticism of the right wing of Italian politics (see TODO MORO).

I think that the movie is most powerful once you are aware of the fact that you can be victimized at the hands of an institution, esp. at the hands of an institution that exists only to maintain political order. Once the politicization of the priorities of those institutions that have the legitimate use of violence occurs, than meaningless violence towards the innocent will be allowed if punishing it would impair the political functions of the state machinery. Flora Balkan is perhaps a symbol for the masses, their love of violence and power, their love for the undoing of their freedoms.

A very fine movie that requires some effort, but that is always actual - thanks to an interesting narration of human nature. The movie does have it's flaws and i the action is not as invigorated as one expects it to be after the first 15 minutes, neither is the camera work at the level it has to be for this movie to be the greatest ever but it is still a hell of a great movie.

Whether or not you agree with this movie's negative portrayal of state violence and of that primal attraction that violence has (explored in a marvelously Mediterranean style in this movie) for so many could make the difference in how much you are puzzled by the movie. If you see it a a satire of power and violence - it might work.

Italian Cinema at Its Peak!

[pipeoxide · 10/10 · 26 July 2007]

The final scene in Elio Petri's 1970 Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion concludes with a quote from Kafka's The Trial: "Whatever he may seem to us, he is yet a servant of the Law; that is, he belongs to the Law and as such is set beyond human judgment." What Petri has left out from this excerpt is also that "to doubt his integrity is to doubt the Law itself". The "he" in question here is the man of the Law – the police inspector – played brilliantly, hair slicked back et al, by Gian Maria Volontè. Without any scruples, we see the Inspector coldly cut his mistress's throat with a razor between the sheets in a kinky role-playing romp, sans scruples, only to prove to himself if he is, as he believes, a citizen above suspicion and beyond the Law which he so firmly adheres to.

This complex film is a cinematic gem thanks to its multifarious tropes – at times absurd black comedy, at times vitriolic political satire, at times psychological study into sexual fetishism and power. Of course, all of these themes intermingle so effortlessly that you can't help but be taken aback by the richness of Petri's byzantine vision. The left-leaning director here depicts the autocratic terror that overtook Italy in the late 60s, an overture to the tense, decade-long period known as the "years of lead" in Italian politics – a time of fascist repression and a struggle between the equally-as-extreme left and right of center parties.

Beyond its political overtones (which are universal yet now paradoxically outdated, as we see rebellious students waving their little red Maoist books around to anger the "fascist pigs" in the police force), Investigation plays its strongest and most universal hand in its view of authority, and specifically, those that wield an ungodly amount of it. The Inspector, in a snug, black suit, commands and degrades his subordinates, yet in the way a responsible teacher would reprimand a naughty student. That is, he believes his own righteousness and position, and here, once he commits the murder of Augusta Terzi (the stunning Florinda Bolkan), he leaves the Law to spin its wheels of Justice, having full confidence in the organ of power that commands him. As the Inspector sits in the office of his boss, the Commissioner (a sleazy Gianni Santuccio), he trembles like a child, waiting for approval and acceptance. After the latter admits to having an affair with the murdered victim, the unperturbed Commissioner asks him amidst a smoke-filled smirk, holding a cigar in his fat fingers, "So, was she, you know? Any good?" Here we can make the link between power and sexual impotence, as the simple reason the Inspector kills his lover is because she has brought to light his personal inadequacies as a man. An individual who holds such dominance over others, who commands such authority, is an addictive aphrodisiac for Bolkan's underwear-hating heroine, but after a while, she sees her Inspector is nothing more than a capricious child obsessed and deceived with a position of power that holds no integrity and no truth. For her, his sexual appeal has vanished, the organ of dominance has grown limp, as the incongruity between the Inspector's projected image and his actual self begins to grow. She hates his little black socks, his dull black suit, and his overall bureaucratic appearance. In a few great satirical moments, we see the impressionable Inspector strolling the streets in a trendy new khaki suit, a purple silk ascot, fashionable sunglasses – a caricature of Italian culture to the fullest.

So what prompts Volontè's Inspector to make his final decision? Is he a stern follower of the Law who wants to test it and prove himself superior to his inept colleagues; a sadistic neofascist bureaucrat who lives for control and subjugation of others; an infantile with a bruised ego thanks to an untamable feminine force? Are we, as viewers, not to question his actions, but simply to accept them as necessary because he's "a man of the Law", superior to us, despite his faults, as Kafka leads us to believe…or is that just Petri's tongue-in-cheek humor getting the best of us? That's the fun of this great film, and the kookiness of Ennio Morricone's twangy score adds to the comical effect of a dark and witty étude into power, sex, and politics.

We learned a lot with this movie .

[msjorge · 9/10 · 15 July 2019]

If the crime, corruption , comes from who is expected to judge or to combat the crime ( judges , policemen)the chances that you will not pay for it is infinitely lesser than if are not part of the system.

Impotence and power.

[ItalianGerry · 18 June 2004]

(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.

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion

[lasttimeisaw · 8/10 · 30 July 2013]

This 1970s Italian political drama opens with a compelling murder live show, a dapper man, Volonté (the head of homicide squad) artfully kills his erotic mistress (Bolken) with a sharp blade, and what's befuddling the viewers is after that, Volonté intentionally leaves many traces which could be implicated to him at the scene of the crime, all the more a face-to-face encounter with a witness when he leaves the building. Naturally, one has to divine his motivation of his deviant contrivances, but the film doesn't opt to give a straightforward answer to the illogicality, instead it unwinds itself into a sociological tirade aiming at the blazon compliance of the ruling power echelon, Volonté has been promoted to a more authoritarian post, politics-oriented, and the cover-up process degrades the whole investigation into a farce, lushly recorded by the agile camera.

Arguably, this is Elio Petri's most famous film, an Oscar's BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM crowner, and won him 2 awards in CANNES that year, Petri may not occupy an international cachet so high as his Italian peers, but the film can potently justify his talent, it is an authentic gas, wonderfully designed camera-work with a great architectonic predilection, astute sense of unpicking the tacit phone-interception dirty business, a twitchy sensibility towards the rotten authorities, and upbraids an undeniable self-awareness of being politically-biased.

Volonté is tailor-made for the leading role, a typical male chauvinist, over-cocksure by appearance while underneath he is a man haunted by his impotence and jealousy (Bolken has mentioned a few times he is only a child which effectively irritates him), although ambiguous about the raison d'être of his act, Volonté is confident, menacing and impressive out of his common Spaghetti image. Bolken is billed as the co-lead, but mostly appears in flashback and the film has curtailed her character to a sexy trophy, a power-worshipper and a dispensable pawn whose stupidity overshadows her own demise, nevertheless she is a stunner in all her shots. The standout of the all-male supporting cast is Salvo Randone as an innocent plumber, who caves in poignantly in front of power, a bona-fide scene stealer.

Last but not the least is Ennio Morricone's score, the repeated motif has a synthesized rhythm, catchy and indelible, throughout the film, it renders the film a touch of ridicule and never leave any chance for the audiences to be bored by the doctrinal tone the film unintentionally betrays.

Mildly engaging, but I felt somewhat overrated... Blu-ray: Excellent (for it's age) A:9 V:9

[lathe-of-heaven · 6/10 · 28 June 2013]

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...

police corruption during the Years of Lead

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 3 May 2019]

Throughout the 1970s, Italy experienced a conflict that bordered on a civil war. Widespread fighting between left- and right-wing extremists led to massive violence that earned the moniker the Years of Lead (referring to all the bullets fired). There were the Red Brigades on the left and the neo-fascists on the right, with the government often responding mercilessly.

This context helps one understand Elio Petri's Academy Award-winning "Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto" ("Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion" in English). Gian Maria Volonté plays a cop who murders a woman and then has to investigate it. All manner of police corruption comes into play, even as the cop leaves clues leading to himself.

The police corruption should also get seen in the context of all the protests taking place worldwide. The Vietnam War was a major cause - some protesters even reference Ho Chi Minh in one scene - but there was also the indictment of Italy's fascist past, especially since fascist-adjacent people often held positions in Italy's law enforcement. No surprise that a man gets to investigate a crime that he himself committed.

Definitely one that I recommend. Too bad that Petri died so young. I have no doubt that he'd still be making great movies were he alive today.

very interesting movie, though a bit puzzling

[FieCrier · 7/10 · 20 September 2005]

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.

Getting Away With Murder in a Great Movie of the 1970's

[Rodrigo_Amaro · 10/10 · 3 August 2010]

"Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion" is a Italian film released in 1970 with an original, provocative and challengeable story about how corruptive and deceivable some people might be and that those who supposed to be on the right side of the law are more likely to do bad things.

In Elio Petri's film Gian Maria Volonté plays a chief of police in charge of the complex murder of a prostitute (played by Brazilian actress Florinda Bolkan). Detail: He killed her and he left clues deliberately trying to get caught by his colleagues. The romantic involvement between the woman and the chief of police is presented in flashbacks, showing the crime's motivation. And along with the difficult (and you can even say ironic, funny) investigation there's Italy's political background during the 1970's since the chief of police is also trying to arrest many communists manifestants who are fighting against the new political establishment. Some of the characters and the movie's visual reminds of "Z", but this thriller is a little more soft and less complicated. Both are fascinating and must see movies of all time.

"Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion" is a powerful statement on hypocrisy and corporatism disguised as an investigation movie. The main character always poses as someone arrogant, who feels that he's the law and every people should respect him even his lover but she's more wise and tries to humiliate him all the time. Here's a guy who persecutes all the supposed enemies of the government claiming that the country needs to have a firm and solid moral structure free of communists, homosexuals, manifestants, and prostitutes but he's involved with one and killed her yet he wants to be arrested so that he can say that the law was respected. One thing is ironic and good about him is that he tries to frame someone as the possible murder of the woman but he always finds a way to make these people innocent, very fast.

A great accomplish by Gian Maria Volonte who played the chief of police brilliantly, with enormous qualities in a flawless performance. His character only demonstrates his desire to get caught, leaving clues, prints, but when he sees that his colleagues are not working very well he gets mad always trying to leave more and more clues.

Winner of the Academy Award of Best Foreign Film in 1971 and nominated for Best Screenplay in the following year, this movie was robbed an nomination for best music (composed by the exceptional Ennio Morricone), a great and thrilling piece of composition. One of those themes you can't easily forget. Great cinema from the 1970's. 10/10

A tale of neo-fascism run amok in modern Italy.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 1 November 2019]

"Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion" is a very interesting film to watch today because it's hard to imagine that Italy circa 1970 was in fact a sort of neo-fasicist place. While Mussolini was long gone, the story exposes how nationalistic and repressive the country had become just 25 years after Il Duce. For this reason alone, the film is important historically.

The head of the homicide department with the police has just been given a promotion--to be the head of the political branch. What this actually means is that he's in charge of a KGB-like organization which routinely ignores human rights and their motto seems to be 'the end justifies the means' when dealing with threats to the conservative government. While you are never sure exactly why, early in the film he murders his mistress. And, to make it more confusing, he often deliberately does things to make it obvious HE committed the crime. The weird way that his comrades in the government react to this information make this a film worth seeing. However, I should also point out that the movie isn't especially exciting or enjoyable to watch...and could have used a bit of life injected into the story.

A clever concept but dramatically unengaging

[umbrellas2 · 4/10 · 4 May 2019]

The film's opening scene is great, but overall I found it very disappointing given all the rave reviews I've read. The political point about 'citizens above suspicion' is made with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer and the main character is both unsympathetic and implausible. The answer to the question 'what's the character's motivation?' shouldn't be 'to prove a political point the director wants to make'. I'm not even unsympathetic to the politics, I just don't think they're effectively expressed in a feature film if it lacks plausible characterization. Of course, you could go for all-out satire, but despite flirting with that approach Petri sticks for the most part with telling it straight, and it just doesn't work because the plot is so contrived.

Interestingly timely, even 30+ years later

[big-montana · 11 April 2003]

Saw this film in New York at a revival. The tale of power and of right-wing/fascist politics corrupting is shockingly timely even today, in this time of global conflict, with enemies branded "unpatriotic."

The movie portrays the moral corruption of Italian police and politics in the 1970's, with totalitarian tactics wrapped in patriotism. The movie's lead policeman is swept up in the power of position. Sadly, it's only too easy for me to believe his ability to use his position and power to manipulate people and place himself above "the law".

The movie "looks" Italian and 1970's, with stark concrete and flat colors, which appealed to me. The story builds well, jumping backwards to fill in details, to climax in an alternate possible ending, very believable. I highly recommend it.

Satirical masterpiece

[michelerealini · 10/10 · 15 October 2005]

"Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto" is one the best films of Elio Petri. This great director used to make films with a strong social content. This movie, which won an Oscar for the best foreign language film in 1970, stars Gian Maria Volonté -one of Petri's favorite actors.

The story is about a fascist police boss, who accidentally kills his mistress during an erotic game. Fate wants him to lead the inquiry for this death. The policeman spreads everywhere clues for his guilt (!). He doesn't do that for justice, he only does this for proving to himself that he's untouchable.

Gian Maria Volonté performance is memorable -as usual... He was a big actor, he could change from one role to the other like an extraordinary chameleon. The film has a solid structure, it is satirical and cynical. The sarcasm towards the police boss is also supported by an excellent musical score by Ennio Morricone.

We miss films like this one, it's one of the examples of Italian masterpieces which aren't produced any more.

A MASTERPIECE

[flaviocapuano · 10/10 · 26 February 2021]

An immense masterpiece I personally love Elio Petri's cinema and, this together with Todo Modo, is his masterpiece. It is a complex film, full of references to Kafkaesque literature. Surely in addition to the perfect direction, the film is so incisive and at times disturbing for the spectacular soundtrack of the master Ennio Morricone and for the masterful interpretation of the great Gian Maria Volonté. For the rest there is nothing to say, the ending is as beautiful as it is strange. From the first to the last frame you are captivated by this cinematic immensity. Nothing to say MUST ABSOLUTELY SEEN

Should Be Essential For Crime Thriller Fans

[gavin6942 · 8/10 · 12 April 2016]

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.

Greatest plot ever?

[Coventry · 9/10 · 20 September 2017]

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.

Changes From Second Feature To Thought Experiment.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 6 May 2012]

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.

Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspicion (Elio Petri, 1970) ***1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 8/10 · 15 February 2009]

Apart from the film's own intriguing theme and interesting credentials, I had always been keen on catching this one because it had defeated Luis Bunuel's magnificent TRISTANA (1970) for the title of the Best Foreign-Language Film at the Oscars! However, the path that ultimately led me to it was quite thorny: I first caught the start of it during a rare Italian TV prime-time screening in the mid-1980s; then, after dropping off the radar for decades, it turned up again on late-night Italian TV but the reception was terrible so I could not tape it; later still, having finally acquired it on my PC, the hard disk went bust before I had a chance to make myself a copy…so that, I had to get hold of it (via the same channels) all over again when the PC was back on its feet!! Even so, a whole year passed before I actually sat down to watch it (on the heels of two other Elio Petri-Gian Maria Volonte' films). INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN ABOVE SUSPICION won a clutch of other international awards, so it is not all that surprising to see it emerge triumphant at the Oscars as well and, after seeing it for myself, I cannot say I was displeased by that fact. In short, the film is a veritable masterpiece: brilliantly-made and utterly fascinating, albeit making for typically demanding viewing (particularly during its latter stages). As can be gleaned from the title, the plot revolves around a crime (actually, the murder of his mistress) committed by a highly-respected public official: ironically, the culprit is none other than the exiting Chief of the Homicide Squad (Gian Maria Volonte' who is on fire throughout as the megalomaniac protagonist) – on his way out to becoming the Head of Political Intelligence – and which, of course, he has the duty to investigate himself! This he does with complete confidence and not a little trickery (destroying and/or planting evidence, deviating the path of the investigation but at the same time admitting to his new superior of having known the victim, etc). His unusual relationship with the latter (sensuously played by Florinda Bolkan), then, is seen via intermittent flashbacks: she is a libertine (much is made of the fact that she possesses no underwear!), initially getting in touch with Volonte' almost in jest and, eventually, playing the willing murdered party(!) in re-enactments of crimes of passion solved by him throughout his illustrious career (of which he, unashamedly, also keeps photographic records). Other important figures to feature in the narrative are: Arturo Dominici (from Mario Bava's BLACK Sunday [1960]) as Volonte''s long-suffering successor; a young student radical who lives in the same apartment block as Bolkan and of whom Volonte' was jealous; and Salvo Randone (like the star, a Petri regular) as a confused old man to whom the pompous anti-hero actually confesses his guilt in the matter and bullies into turning him over to the Police…but the latter, naturally, is shocked to see him lording it at the Homicide bureau! For all the social and political relevance of Petri and frequent collaborator Ugo Pirro's Oscar-nominated script – culminating in a delicious double ending (Volonte''s quasi-surreal exoneration by his colleagues, after he professes to have committed the ultimate sacrifice for the good of Established Law & Order, is revealed to have been mere wish-fulfillment on his part…with the true development of the facts cleverly left to the audience members' own judgment) – the element which has perhaps been mainly responsible for securing the film its longevity is Ennio Morricone's celebrated bizarre (i.e. half-urgent, half-playful) score which definitely ranks among his finest works, and that's saying a lot!

Great concept; weak movie

[Red-125 · 6/10 · 28 February 2004]

Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto (1970), known in the US as Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion is an film that begins with a great premise. The chief of homicide murders his mistress, then plants clues that implicate him in the crime. The chief has just been promoted to chief of the internal security squad, where he will oversee the activities of the branch of government that spies on students, labor unionists, and anyone else who questions that government's methods or goals. The film has two plots.

One is the re-emergence of fascism in the guise of anti-terrorism, and the other is the events following the chief's brutal crime. Either of these themes could have been developed into an excellent film.

The bad news is that the movie flounders in pop psychology, and ends up unsure of itself, of its point of view, and of its conclusion. Still, the protagonist--played by Gian Maria Volonté--is appropriately handsome in a brutal, unfeeling way, and his mistress--played by the Brazilian actress Florinda Bolkan--is appropriately beautiful in a disturbed and disturbing way.

I went to see this film with high hopes, which were not realized.

Too bad--Investigation of a Citizen started well, and could have been a winner.

Timely

[cicettip · 10/10 · 28 July 2020]

I rented this with Amazon having been moved by the recent death of Ennio Morricone who wrote the film score. So glad to discover this masterpiece. Do not need to repeat what others have said in their reviews, except to say the script is brilliant, particularly in light of our current political turmoil. On a technical note, the film was restored in 4HD, but the subtitles are totally out of sync with the dialogue. The fact that I speak some Italian made it worse. The score is comedic, surrealistic, and reminded me a bit of the circus motifs of Nino Rota. I would like to watch again with better subtitles.

The games people play.

[brogmiller · 7/10 · 31 July 2021]

This is comedy at its blackest and satire at its most cruel and ends with a quotation from Kafka's 'The Trial' that is chillingly appropriate: ".......he is a servant of the law, therefore belongs to the law and escapes human judgement."

The 'servant' here is the Inspector of Gian-Maria Volonte who has murdered his mistress for motives that become clear later on and seems to go out of his way to incriminate himself, knowing of course that his elevated position renders him immune.

Petri and Volonte enjoyed an excellent working relationship and here Volonte gives a powerhouse performance. The extreme close-ups and his relentlessly sforzando delivery are riveting, disturbing and one would have to say, somewhat exhausting.

Technically the film is excellent and boasts pungent dialogue and superlative camerawork by Petri's regular collaborators Ugo Pirri and Luigi Kuveiller. The momentum of the editing is courtesy of veteran Ruggero Mastroianni. The film's grimness is cleverly relieved by Ennio Morricone's jaunty score and by the deliciously sexy and perverse Augusta of Florinda Bolkan.

Critic Roger Ebert has pointed out that the one weakness of the film lies in Petri's equating police authority with fascism and in one particular rant of the Inspector that likens liberals to sexual deviants. This of course reflects Petri's far-Left politics but ironically the activists in this are portrayed as naive, misguided fools waving copies of the little red book of mass-murderer Mao.

Although both suspenseful and psychologically penetrating, this is not an easy film to like but one does not necessarily have to like a film in order to appreciate its merits.

Let us give thanks that the obligatory Hollywood makeover did not come to fruition!

Investigation of the investigator

[barrydayton · 5/10 · 8 June 2022]

This film is a parody of the members of the current (June 2022) Conservative party of Britain and Democratic and Republican parties of the U. S. who refuse to criticize their, probably criminal, leaders. One possible flaw in this analysis is that this is a 1970 Italian film ending with a quote from Kafka's "The Trial" (1915).

Unfortunately, this film is unwatchable, being mostly an obnoxious monologue by Gian Maria Volonte, as detective chief, berating his detectives for not solving a grisly murder of a woman that he, himself, committed leaving many clues. Perhaps is is really parodying the critics who were afraid to criticize famous director Elio Petri by giving the film awards.

This critic is not intimidated. I give it a 5, a terrible rating on my scale.