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Dec 16, 2013 Web Exclusive By John Oursler

Imagine Dexter, only recombined as a gloriously stylized feature length Italian film from the early ‘70s, and that still doesn’t scrape the surface of the awesome Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion by Elio Petri. Criterion’s newly restored release is one of their finest to date, with each color jumping off the screen with assaultive beauty; apt given the film’s content.

There aren’t enough superlatives to adequately characterize Gian Maria Volonté‘s powerhouse lead performance. He plays an unnamed Roman police inspector who, in the film’s opening scenes, murders a beautiful woman while the two have sex. They know each other, and have in the past parlayed the contents of his homicide investigations into the bedroom for a series of photographed roleplaying. Petri shows this mostly through montage flashbacks throughout the film, but not in any sort of regressive blame-assigning “she was asking for it” sort of way; rather, he purposefully clarifies the inspector as a high-functioning sociopath, and a high-ranking one to boot. The fact that he’s ascended this far up the ranks is part of the film’s ultimate denouncement.

Investigation is first and foremost a scathing critique of institutional nepotism and palm-greasing, gloriously revealed through Petri’s aesthetic and structural choices. To add insult to injury, the inspector investigates his own crime, along the way leaving obvious clues and even occasionally admitting to guilt to those around him. His official posturing is that he wants to atone for wrongdoing, which he does ostensibly through not pursuing innocent parties. But Petri has a grander purpose; he uses his character as a symbol of everything that is wrong with the Roman police chain of command.

Ennio Morricone’s memorable score perfectly complements the film’s wild artistry. Comprised of a Jew’s harp and other electronically-sampled staccato noises, the pervasive theme feels somewhat like a game show’s in that it’s equally grating and catchy. As Petri careens and pans, Morricone is right there alongside bleeping and bobbling.

The investigator does everything in his power to indict himself, including bribing people to snitch, meticulously placing evidence for discovery, and eventually confessing directly to his superiors. Nothing works. In the end he winds up exactly where he started, with his furtive mission of reformation a complete wash.

With this release, Criterion has once again proven why it’s the preeminent purveyor of cinema. Luigi Kuveiller’s cinematography is gorgeous to behold in a new 4k restoration, and Morricone’s musical component sounds as fresh as if it were composed yesterday. Luckily for enthusiasts, they’ve amped up their special features with this release after several of their newer releases were bare-bones. An interview with Morricone explains how he came to work with Petri and how the two collaborated on such a unique musical score. Several hour-long interviews with critics and Petri himself help augment an understanding of the film.

In all, this is one of Criterion’s most beautiful restorations, and, keeping in line with their stated mission, helps reinsert a classic film into cinephiliac discourse. (www.criterion.com/films/27911-investigation-of-a-citizen-above-suspicion)

Author rating: 8/10