The Assassin (1965)

Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

An absolute waste of money

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The antiquarian Alfredo Martelli (Marcello Mastroianni) is brought to the precinct without any explanation to be interviewed by the Police Inspector Palumbo (Salvo Randone). During the questioning, Martelli learns that his wealthy mistress Adalgisa De Matteis (Micheline Presle), who is older than he, was stabbed to death and he is the prime suspect of the police officers. While in jail, Martelli recalls moments of his life with Adalgisa and his love affair with the young Nicoletta Nogaro (Micheline Presle). Meanwhile the police proceed with the investigation."L'assassino" is a dated thriller by Elio Petri in his debut as director. The storyline slightly recalls Franz Kafka's "The Trial" where a man is arrested for an unspecified motive. Alfredo Martelli is a cynical man and the lack of communication between the characters keeps the atmosphere dark and gloomy. The black and white cinematography on the restored DVD is magnificent. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "O Assassino" ("The Assassin")

First film of Elio Petri and it is very well made. Bit confusing at first as we seem to be seeing two Marcello Mastroianni until we realise that we are. Flashbacks are well to the fore in this noir like, Kafka-esque tale of a antique dealer, man about town played by Mastroianni. He has an older than he, lover and benefactor and a younger girl as well although his older lover seems to encourage this. Unfortunately she gets killed, he gets called in and the police reckon they have an open and shut case. Terrible scenes in a bare prison cell where he awaits his fate and he's joined by a couple of guys to keep him company, or rough him up, or incriminate him or something not too good. We are constantly having to try and determine whether this guy is the killer or not and just how wretched a person he is with his healing and dealing and his womanising and cadging of money. Petri engages us throughout and also encourages us to attempt to evaluate goodness and to sample police justice in action.

This is a pretty good film overall, not an amazing classic, but definitely something solid and something you'd expect to find on DVD so i'm kind of surprised Criterion hasn't snapped it up as of yet.---Marcello Mastriani really really holds the film together with his performance. (he basically is the film here really) He hits all the notes that you would expect an innocent man in his predicament to hit but he throws in a lot of grace notes and a surprising amount of humor that kind of informs his character's mood changes from the general good humor to the understandably agitated and jumpy guy as well. Movie is about a guy who's mistress is found dead and well the cops really really really like him for it. Movie is essentially Marcello flashing back on his relationship as it progressed throughout the time he knew her until her death all while being interrupted by him being grilled by the lead detective, or in a jail cell being irritated by the other inmates, and so fourth. Even if it is your basic plot device--it still works well enough to get you to wonder which of these other people is the real killer...i mean it couldn't actually be Marcello Mastriani right? that'd be absolutely ridiculous! (thank god this movie wasn't made in the last decade---i think you could pretty much guarantee that that would be the "twist" if it were) Virtually the whole movie reminded me of Louis Malle's Elevator To The Gallows--itself a movie about a man innocent of murder trying to find out what happened to his love. That movie was set to a Miles Davis score--and this one is also set to a really good, really moody jazz score as well (altho if i read the credits right--the musician was Italian and not American) the constant repetition of the main theme as Marcello wanders around and around works wonderfully--i left the screening humming it---but it also mirrors Marcello's confusion about what he actually can remember---he spends the whole movie remembering stuff--but he can't seem to remember the actual details he badly needs to remember...you know you hear the song play on but you really couldn't hum anything other then the main theme. It all goes down really smoothly--but it is kinda forgettable unfortunately. I mean its a very good watch--but i don't know if i'm going to really remember that i saw this a day or two from now much less a week. Still it works really well and its got a beat you can dance to which is just fine for me. The only real flaw i think is that the wrap up to the murder case--is rather arbitrary (of course it is, it wouldn't be a true deadpan film if it weren't) but that's not that big a deal since it leads to one of the best lines of the movie spoken by the police detective who had been needling Marcello throughout the whole thing---and then the ending of the movie itself--which is like something out of a deadpan comedy and not the ice cool french noir we've been watching....actually scratch that its exactly like the movie we've been watching.

A socialite is murdered and her playboy lover, (the young and handsome Marcello), is brought in for questioning. During his stay in custody we get to see the real sneaky playboy in action via flashback. Is he guilty or just a sleaze. Cleverly constructed and effectively shot by Woody Allen's favourite camera person, Carlo Di Palma.