by Ted Davis

Original Title: Indajine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto

Directed by: Elio Petri

Synopsis: Gifted writer-director Elio Petri stacks the deck in his indictment of a pervasively corrupt Italian government system, which plot is kickstarted when deranged recently promoted political inspector (Gian Maria Volonte), known as ‘Il Dottore’ (the Doctor), who is responsible for cracking down on ‘subversives’ and maintaining ‘social order,’ slits the throat of his kinky mistress Augusta Terzi (Florinda Bolkan) as the culmination of their decadent sex games in which they re-enacted the rapes and murders of numerous women. Cursed with an intrusive and irritating score contrived by Ennio Morricone.

Purr Blur: At the beginning of the movie I’ll Dottore enters the ‘D’Annunzio-style’ apartment of Terzi to initiate their final encounter. As he greets his sex partner, her longhair orange tabby cat can be glimpsed briefly at her feet, diverting attention with a telltale ear twitch.

Final Mewsings: The cat was smart enough to make himself scarce even before the murder.

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