A recently promoted police inspector (Gian Maria Volonté) kills his mistress (Florinda Bolkan), and then covers up his involvement in the crime. He insinuates himself into the investigation, planting clues to steer his subordinate officers toward a series of other suspects, including the woman’s gay husband and a student leftist radical.
He then exonerates the other suspects and leads the investigators toward him to prove that he is “above suspicion” and can get away with anything, even while being investigated. He eventually confesses to the crime in front of his superiors – who refuse to believe him. Sure that he is safe, he recants his confession, and receives the approval of the police commissioner. The interrogation at his home is revealed to be a dream sequence and the film ends with the actual arrival of the commissioner and other colleagues.
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (Italian: Indagine su un Cittadino al di Sopra di Ogni Sospetto) is a 1970 Italian crime drama film directed by Elio Petri. It is a dramatic, psychological, black-humored satire on corruption in high office, telling the story of a top police officer who kills his mistress, and then tests whether the police would charge him for this crime. He begins manipulating the investigation by planting obvious clues while the other police officers ignore them, either intentionally or not.
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion was released in Italy on February 9, 1970, where it was distributed by Euro International Films. In Italy, the film had a domestic gross of 1,928,248,000 Italian lire. The film was highly regarded in its own time, winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and both the FIPRESCI Prize and the Grand Prize at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival. Also it won the Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture from the Mystery Writers of America.
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)
Directed by: Elio Petri
Starring: Gian Maria Volonté Florinda Bolkan, Gianni Santuccio, Orazio Orlando, Sergio Tramonti, Arturo Dominici, Aldo Rendine, Nicola Panunzio, Massimo Foschi, Aleka Paizi, Pino Patti
Screenplay by: Elio Petri, Ugo Pirro
Production Design by: Romano Cardarelli
Cinematography by: Luigi Kuveiller
Film Editing by: Ruggero Mastroianni
Costume Design by: Angela Sammaciccia
Art Direction by: Carlo Egidi
Music by: Ennio Morricone
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Euro International Films (Italy), Columbia Pictures (United States)
Release Date: February 9, 1970 (Italy), December 20, 1970 (United States)
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