Overview
A chilling exploration of power and morality in a corrupt system.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- sardonic
- paranoid
- grotesque
- political cinema night
- arthouse thriller viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a relentless, formally striking political thriller whose black satire exposes authoritarian police corruption and the corrupting force of power.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The inspector plants clues implicating himself as a sardonic test of whether the police will prosecute him.
The police hierarchy treats its own authority as superior to law, turning the murder investigation into a parable of repression.
Police interrogations, official rituals, and the inspector's performative dominance are presented with sardonic theatricality.
The central tension arises because the high-ranking inspector appears to stand above the laws he enforces.
Films like Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, and why
The Parallax View
Shares paranoid police procedural structure, institutional corruption, political repression, and acidic social satire.
The Conversation
Shares kafkaesque political anxiety, authoritarian institutions, moral ambiguity, and oppressive thriller momentum.
The Great Beauty
Shares blackly comic crime storytelling, corrupt authority figures, and stylized political critique.
Movie Details
- Director
- Elio Petri
- Release Date
- 1970-10-16
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 8.2 / 10 (900)
Cast
- Gian Maria Volonté
- Florinda Bolkan
- Gianni Santuccio
- Orazio Orlando
- Sergio Tramonti
- Arturo Dominici
- Aldo Rendine
- Massimo Foschi
- Aleka Paizi
- Vittorio Duse
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion about?
- A powerful police inspector turns his mistress’s murder into a grotesque experiment in institutional impunity.
- What is Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion as moderate.
- What did critics think of Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a relentless, formally striking political thriller whose black satire exposes authoritarian police corruption and the corrupting force of power.
- Which films are like Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion?
- Films with a similar feel include The Parallax View, The Conversation, and The Great Beauty.
- How long is Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion?
- Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion runs 111 minutes.
- Where can I watch Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion?
- In United States, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV.
