Un maledetto imbroglio

I've always felt that the post-war period of Italian and Japanese films contains the highest concentration of quality films, and I continue to discover new gems. Having finally recently seen Germi's 'Seduced and Abandoned', I've begun digging deeper into his filmography, and was not disappointed with 'Un Maledetto Imbroglio' ('The Facts of Murder').

At its heart 'The Facts of Murder' is a pretty straightforward police procedural, albeit a fairly complex and convoluted one for 1959. A break-in investigation soon becomes much more complicated and Inspector Ciccio Ingravallo, played perfectly by Germi himself, must dig through a series of shady, duplicitous characters to uncover the truth.

While it may not have the suspense or surprises of a Hitchcock or a giallo, what this film has is pure watchability, thanks to the attention to detail of a master director at the top of his game.

The casting is superb, with a slew of credible characters, including the great Saro Urzì as the cheeky Marshal Saro and Claudio Gora as the slimy, sweaty Remo Banducci. The acting is superb, particularly Germi, who is easily one of the best actors I've seen, just super-interesting and an absolute joy to watch. The camera work effortlessly carries us through the story, never bringing attention to itself. The script is utterly believable, real-life quirky dialogue peppered with lovely comic moments.

I mean, the level of craft in this film is astounding, and even though it wasn't the most original plot, I just loved every moment of this film. I'll be watching it again at some point, just to catch some of the brilliant quips and perfectly acted moments.

This is a good crime/thriller movie. Anyone who likes similar movies, with police investigations/whodunnit as a plot, will like this as well. It's not a masterpiece and the conclusion feels a bit rushed and not too clever, but it's enjoyable overall, without plot holes and somewhat unpredictable. I didn't guess who the culprit is, so this movie is successful in my books. Don't expect mindblowing twists/action/car chases etc. Biggest quality here is the verisimilitude and the acting. Germi is excellent, his character is magnetic and charismatic, i 'd say even that his character is ahead of his time. Of course it's a bit outdated but this is totally norma for a 1959 movie. This is a 2 hours/B&W 1958 movie and it never got boring. Every fan of this genre will enjoy it.

Well worth seeing for many reasons: for the complex plot with many connections among those involved in a theft and a seemingly unrelated murder; for a look at Italy in 1959; for the good acting and fast cutting; and for the humor in the script.

This is really a overlooked masterpiece! Germi made a terrific movie from the difficult Gadda's novel. One of his greatest films, together with "Divorzio all'Italiana" e "Il Ferroviere". The acting, especially Germi's, is perfect, and the rythm he impressed to the movie is unique, a sad ballad with soft humor touches. This movie make me proud to be italian and make me a little less ashamed of the contemporary italian cinema. Take a look at this gem and you'll understand!!

Pietro Germi doesn't belong to "high class" of the Italian's directors as federico Fellini, Visconti, Rossellini and others, due he was a bad temper, rough and refuses make part of this circle, he was unique, he implied an American style in his pictures, In Maledetto Inbroglio was clearly one of them, the plot is split in two striking cases, a robbery and a murder, just connected by both were took place in next door, Pietro Germi plays a chief of police at task force in charge to investigate both cases, seemingly has some connection linking those weird happenings, two exhaustive hours were spent to find out the murder, despite Germi changes the ending, he imposes a frenetic non stop acting which thrilled the viewer, a hard and complex case to solve, due countless directions that arise at any moment, a fabulous picture, on those quaint Italian environment, with a bit odd humor, a movie to be discovered for the new generation of cinephiles, highly recommended!!!

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First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 9.25