Diagonaldi Very well executed

Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

evanston_dad 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

lathe-of-heaven 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...

Robert J. Maxwell 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.

petra_ste 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