Enquête sur un citoyen au-dessus de tout soupçon

I’m going to use what Miloš Forman said about Vladimír Menšík: "If he lived in America, he would have a shelf full of Oscars in his cottage"; the same applies to Gian Maria Volonté, the acting chameleon with a devilish twinkle in his eye. He's fantastic here, playing with every muscle in his face, and even though in some scenes he gets a little too carried away with his role (i.e. those typical Italian gestures and yelling), you just believe him that bastard with a Napoleon complex. No wonder this film has so many awards. Academies around the world have always heard of Kafkaesque absurd stories (Kafka is even quoted at the very end) that take on the threat of abuse of power by high-ranking officers, which here is taken to the point of absurdity, where the main character can do whatever he wants, aware of his position (chief of police) and the (almost) impunity that stems from it. A beautifully instructive lesson for our policemen and politicians, starting with Rath, ending with Babiš and Tuhý. (22/06/2016)

I had a feeling like I was sitting on an uncomfortable chair, with my hands tied behind my back, and in front of me, the director aggressively placed himself in the position of an investigator and shouted at me: "So, have you finally understood my artistic intention? Is everything really clear to you? Or do I have to repeat it again, you idiot?" The problem with the film is not the casting or the subject, but that it is overdone. The performance intentionally exaggerates to the point of being painful and appears significantly unnatural, like in a slapstick. This critique of the system could have worked excellently if it had been played civilly, with only subtle exaggeration, and if it had unsettled and confused the viewer and hadn't revealed everything immediately. With this film, at times, I had the feeling that instead of music, a circular saw was making noise. The peculiar investigation makes me feel like it could have been a perfect thriller if it had scaled back in several places. Overall impression: 45%. (23/10/2018)

Représentant manipulateur et égocentrique du pire de l'arrogance des puissants, ou ritueliste lentement en train de perdre la raison, intériorisant les règles et sanctifiant l'ordre ? À première vue, seulement le premier, mais la tension entre ces deux pôles crée une contradiction dans les actions du protagoniste principal, qui pousse toute l'intrigue à une vitesse meurtrière. L'effort pour obtenir un contrôle absolu de la situation en confirmant l'impuissance des autres personnes, qu'il peut voir dans leurs yeux et dans leur peur, lui permet de croître lui-même. Et inversement, le désir d'être puni pour avoir enfreint les limites de la loi qui définissent le terrain de jeu où il est devenu roi. Et quant à qui est ce cou qui fait bouger la tête, personne ne peut en douter grâce à la conclusion. Une manière brillante de raconter, la caméra, le montage et bien sûr la musique. Et Volonté catapulte le film dans des sphères célestes./// P.S. La version doublée en anglais distribuée par Columbia (diffusée à la télévision sur la chaîne Cinemax) a modifié l'ordre de certaines scènes (celles avec l'installateur et la cravate bleue et le détective qui vient chercher la cravate compromettante chez Volonté à la maison). Dans la version italienne (sous-titrée dans les cinémas tchèques dans les années 70, vue à Ponrepo), les scènes sont présentées de manière non chronologique, ce qui rend la compréhension initiale plus difficile mais démontre encore davantage le style rafraîchissant et déroutant de Petri pour les spectateurs. (18/03/2014)

An Italian film, which in a truly unpleasant and depressing light shows what elitism is and how it is possible to do essentially anything and get away with it without being punished. It's quite sad that the film will soon be 50 years old, but its essence is still relevant and can still be applied to today's world. (12/04/2017)