Enquête à l'italienne

A giallo of the sweet kind, with, by exception, a bunch of the greatest actors. Peter Ustinov acts as a ceremony host, adorning his lines with cinephile-like digressions: "a good scene in a good film must have a good finale", "the dialogue only seems to hide the most obvious thoughts", "this classic line in the style of Italian comedy", etc. Otherwise, the genre is well respected, with accumulating corpses, baroque and mysterious locations, a slow-burning plot and potential killers, more or less mad or interested, waiting in the dark. A touch of eroticism with Ursula Andress, plenty of picturesque little characters and a disillusioned Mastroianni playing a police officer with questionable efficiency. A real success for my part which should interest people beyond the mere circle of pure gialli fans. Viewed in original version with a 1h43 running time in academy ratio. XNB.

I disagree with the low rating this film has on IMDB. I found it very enjoyable, despite some limitations. It is a crime thriller that mixes investigation with some typical situations from Italian comedy. The presence of Mastroianni, in the role of the police commissioner, accentuates this feeling, in my opinion. The portrayal of Rome is interesting, less sunny than one would expect. Let's say that it is perhaps the part linked to the double murder that lowers the rating, with an ending that is not predictable. I think that if you are looking for a typical Italian film from the 1970s, you will not be disappointed.