Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto)
Directed by Elio Petri
Written by Elio Petri and Ugo Pirro
1970/Italy
IMDb page
First viewing/Netflix rental

Il Dottore – Former head of homicide squad: The people are children and, therefore, we have no choice but to repress: The repression is our vaccine!

I loved how Petri’s brilliant political thriller seamlessly blends sexy suspense with a savage indictment of corruption in high places.

Gian Maria Volonte (he is never named in the film, I will call him Il Dottore) is about to leave his job as Chief of the Homicide Division for a promotion to the Political Department.  He and his mistress Augusta (the smoking hot Florinda Bolkan) like to indulge in mildly sado-masochistic fantasies in which he either plans her murder or subjects her to a humiliating interrogation.  We see one such role-play as the movie begins.  There will be flashbacks to previous sex games throughout the movie.  Within a couple of minutes, Il Dottore murders Augusta for real.  He deliberately plants evidence pinning the crime on himself.

Although he is no longer Chief of Homicide, he inserts himself as thoroughly into the investigation as if he were.  His former employees and even his replacement are awed by and afraid of Il Dottore.  Il Dottore is even more sadistic in his work life than he is in his sex life.  He uses his considerable clout and commanding presence to lead the entire homicide squad on a wild goose chase while providing additional information against himself and  taunting them the entire time .  He is trying to find out if he really is above the law.

In the meantime, it is 1969 and Il Dottore is in charge of putting down violent political protests by young revolutionary radicals and Communists.  He is as brutal at this as at everything else and his interrogation style suits his penchant for cruelty.    At some point the murder investigation and the political repression intersect.    I will stop there as this really is a mystery in which the question was is not who-dunnit but why and whether the homicide squad will ever discover the identity of our crafty killer.  The movie has an unforgettable ending.

I was really impressed with this movie. The story is engrossing and the images are stunning. Gian Maria Volonte was born to play this kind of role and is superb here. The upbeat score is by Ennio Morricone. Recommended.

The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Picture.

U.S. trailer (dubbed, I watched the subtitled version)

Three Reasons to Watch