Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion

The "Dottore" is easily one of the most fascinating characters I've ever seen on screen. Driven crazy by his untouchable authority, he is at once power-drunk and dying to be humbled; framing innocents for his crime but trying to get caught, the same psychological pattern is echoed in his sexual relationship revealed in flashbacks, and even in his schizophrenic politics as he almost mocks his own neo-fascism. Petri directs with flair, and Volonté's performance is absolutely stupendous.

A very dark and scathing satire of authority and power, led by a remarkable performance by Volonté. It's very Kafkaesque, with a slightly surreal atmosphere (Petri's direction is unpredictable and high energy) and a depiction of an Italian police state marked by arbitrary authority and abuses of power. Volonté's character is simultaneously absurd and terrifyingly believable; he's almost comically devious but Volonté fills him with such base intensity and bile that he can not be dismissed.

This is one of those films that makes you feel so proud when you find them.

I was hooked right from the almost wordless opening scene. There are many layers and tones here, and every one of them perfectly in sync with the whole. Is it a crime film or a social critique, a drama or a comedy? All of them and none of them, and that's what's so great. Volontè's performance balances all of it perfectly, he's the film's centre, but never overshadows it. I love the way the narrative unfolds and the way the tone slowly shifts towards the ending.

"REPRESSION IS THE VACCINE"

A rightful place alongside both The Conformist and Z, examining the pathology of fascism and making a mockery of establishment hierarchies. It exists in a strange and uneasy fluster, skewering incompetent and unaccountable state authorities with an ironic, somewhat uncomfortable sense of humor. Morricone's score is further dissociative, a touch too whimsical, awkward, and bordering on inappropriate. Volonte, of course, is a ball of fire.

Proving - If power corrupts absolute power corrupts absolutely

Kafka's taken to Italy against his will, and sweats alot. Police investigators screaming at allegedly homosexual suspects. And a really strange soundtrack.

In this fantastic Italian crime drama, the chief inspector of a homicide department murders his lover just to see if his reputation will protect him from being accused of the crime. Gian Maria Volonte gives a powerfully restrained performance as the police inspector, and the film is full of arresting images and great music. There also seems to be some political allegory going on, but most of that went over my head.

One of those movies where days later I'm still turning the themes over in my mind, trying to decide what to take away from it. Volonte gives a complex and unforgettable performance here. Visually it's what you expect from '70s Italian cinema-- a broad palette of washed-out colors, impeccably fitted suits, stunning women, all set to an infectious and strange Morricone soundtrack. Find it, watch it.

Il Dottore - Former head of homicide squad: "The people are underage, the city is sick. Others are tasked with educating and curing this. Our duty is to repress it! The repression is our vaccine! Repression and civilization!"

You have to hope this is all a sick joke as all characters, even the victim are unlikeable egotists playing silly double games... seemed overdone, but, if true, would be horrifying... maybe that's why it's so highly regarded.

This is a pretty dazzling film with two magnificent lead performances. It poses as a crime film, but is really a character study of the fascist mindset. It's kind of bogged down by some fairly outdated psychoanalytic ideas, but that's not really the film's fault.

I didn't "enjoy" this quite as much as my rating would indicate, but I found it totally fascinating, mostly thanks to the central character. Very compelling commentary on authority and power and some twisted stuff. While it is dealing with the Italian police state, I think it can be applied to the police in America (and likely elsewhere) today. One I will rewatch and I wouldn't be surprised if I like it even more then. The direction feels especially urgent, with interesting camera choices.

Frailty of absolute power.

çürümüşlüğe ve iktidara dair muhteşem bir hikaye. senaryo flashback'leri yedirmede ve süreci işlemede yer yer dağınık gözüküyor olsa da reji ve oyunculuklarla harika bir film ortaya çıkıyor.

A very good insight into the mind of bourgeoisie power.

An interesting, albeit exhausting curiosity that nails the Kafkian absurdity it is striving to channel. I was very impressed with Petri's direction.

Maybe the ultimate precursor to American Psycho. Does for state power what that film did for corporate power.

Quite original exploration of both the social mechanisms and the psychic consequences of authoritarian power. As an investigation of fascistic tendencies, this is in some ways superior to THE CONFORMIST, which was released in Italy a few months after this but played in the United States a couple of months before this. Furthermore, the US release date happened to coincide with the day on which Todd Phillips was born, which is clearly highly significant.

raskolnikov gibi teorisini kanitlamak icin mucadele eden bir adam. tabii guclulerle beraber oldugu icin zayifligina ragmen basarili oluyor, hakli cikiyor: bazilari kanunlarin ustundedir

Fascinating study of a character as well as a society, who may very well be one and the same.

watched: 2015, 2023

One of those films in which you can only be impressed with the control of the director, in this case in often exceeding Bunuel.

Orwellian in a way.

A strange and stylish Italian thriller that skewers the Italian government while also mining some dark themes (some say it's Kafkaesque, but one could also make a case for Orwellian). All the while, an oddball soundtrack plays underneath the entire thing. It's like The Conformist, but with sophisticated dick jokes. A gem.

Satire about fascist cops having small dicks, but more impressively, a tale of state discipline and masculinity impacting even the radicals who assume they are opposing it. Petri isn't Pasolini, but I do think there's some biopolitics to his arty and sleazy genre flicks. Less subtle than Working Class Goes to Heaven, sure, but more sure of itself on a technical level. Petri is really interesting, for sure.

Kafka's taken to Italy against his will, and sweats alot. Police investigators screaming at allegedly homosexual suspects. And a Morricone soundtrack.

A really strange movie. But quite mesmerizing and entertaining at the same time. And Morricone's weird score captures the craziness of it all perfectly.

https://letterboxd.com/ladyspiggott/film/investigation-of-a-citizen-above-suspicion/