Elio Petri's Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion begins with a murder scene, where we witness a man brutally strangle his lover in bed. Shot in a overly-stylized way, the sequence is reminiscient of Italian Giallo films, but the audience soon realizes that this film presents a very different type of Italian crime thriller. With the homicide police swarming over the murder scene, looking for answers, guess who is tasked with heading up the investigation? You guessed it, the murderer himself, police chief Ill Dottore. Elio Petri's film is a perverse parable about the relationship between power and corruption, using the Dottore as an absurdist, over-the-top character to do so. Investigation is a film about a very serious and important issue that is very topical to this day, but what makes the film truly memorable is the highly stylized, almost absurdist tone that the whole film has as it explores corruption Gian Maria Volonte plays this character with such unhinged bravado, a man whose power over the laws that he governs leads him feeling invincible, even helping the investigation at times asa way to keep things more interesting. He knows there is no way he could possible go to jail for his crimes, and this over-the-top character just makes the film's deeper meaning more potent. There are very funny sequences throughout this film where Dottore is basically attempting to get himself arrested, and moments where doubt creeps in about his invinicibility, forming a complex character. As the film unfolds, it's revealed that Dottore's reasoning for the murder go somewhat beyond the thrill of not getting caught, harkening back to the adage "it's always about a girl", but that doesn't take anything away from the film's warning against power and corruption. Tonially unique and thematically important, Elio Petri's Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion wears its message on its sleeve, using a playful, energized tone in doing so.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
|