2freensel I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Claudio Carvalho There is a murder in a stormy night and a man (Gérard Depardieu) wandering without any protection from the heavy rain is arrested by the police with no documents. In the police station, he claims that he has a meeting with the Ministry of Culture on the next morning but he needs to wait for the Inspector (Roman Polanski). When he arrives, the man is arrogant and tells that he is the famous and reclusive writer Onoff. The Inspector is his fan and quotes many books written by him. When the Inspector interrogates Onoff, he is not able to recall his last four hours. Along the rainy night, the Inspector insists in interrogating Onoff since there was a murder nearby his house and the victim can not be identified. Who might be the victim and the killer? "Una pura formalità" is an intriguing and theatrical film that is developed basically in one location. The screenplay and dialogues keeps the viewer curious about who killed who. Gérard Depardieu and Roman Polanski have top-notch performances and their duel is worthwhile watching. Unfortunately this film has only been released on VHS in Brazil. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Uma Simples Formalidade" ("A Simple Formality")

Keldi Victoria Konung The incomparable Giuseppe Tornatore, stunning Roman Polanski and magnificent Gerard Depardieu. The only way! How I can't like it!? I like films that make me think and feel ... I was impressed by plot and the style & atmosphere of film. It was incredible – it gets me empathize to the characters from the first to last minute.The screenplay for this film is absolutely amazing - completely unusual story and highly symbolic/philosophical subtext! You spend more than half of the movie thinking it will go one way, but then it absolutely change direction...again and again...If you like good thrillers - you definitely must watch "A Pure Formality"

sashairk A masterpiece, in a true meaning of this word. Yet, a very few people know about this gem; further, out of those few who saw it, only a small minority truly understood and appreciated it. It is a work of art, with masterfully written dialogs, haunting music (one of a very few instances where Gerard Depardieu sings) and a shocking ending. Never take for the 'face value' what you see there; there are many hints spread across it (actually, from the very beginning) that only towards the end make sense. It is the movie only for those who enjoy films like "The Sixth Sense," but this one is made on a much more sublime and sophisticated level. One of my favorite movies, if not The One.

jstar69 i watched this after a recommendation, and after reviewing user comments on IMDb, although a little hesitant and skeptical, felt it would be worth a watch. My conclusion? a pretty mediocre film. although the dialogue was exceptional, the ending was pretty witty but a little disappointing. Throughout the film, the setting and mystery felt like it was leading the viewer to a more suspenseful and/or shocking ending, instead i sat there feeling cheated! My first impression was "Is that it??"Having seen the Sixth Sense before viewing this film, i felt that it was a step back from Sixth Sense, although a Pure Fomality was done before it. Therefore the Sixth Sense surpasses everything that a Pure Formality is, with the exception of dialogue. If u want to watch a film about life and death without having the fuss of reading subtitles, watch the Sixth Sense; its more worthwhile!