Portes ouvertes

Sober, slow, beautifully photographed study of a murder trial in 1930s fascist Italy.

The accused is clearly guilty, but one judge, opposed to the death penalty, is determined to understand the man and his motives rather than join the rush to execute him and be done with it.

Some terrific, subtle acting. But the ideas get a bit clunky in the last third – more didactic, less nuanced. And while I enjoyed and admired the film, I wasn't really moved by it. That said, I will certainly re-watch it at some point, and moments have really stuck with me over time.

This film had the tension and intellectual underpinning of a Doestoyevski novel. The cinematography was superb, but the main focus of interest was in the acting, particularly that of the judge and the accused.The tenderness and general humanity of the judge and above all his compassion, is an example for all of us, and it is what each human being should strive to be like. A beautiful, poignant and evocative movie, that makes one think and think hours afterwards about the nature of crime and punishment.

This Italian film actually makes a multiple-murderer into a sympathetic characters, almost a hero! Now that is just plain wrong.

Yup, it's another super Liberal filmmaker and his main point is to give us another anti-capital punishment film. In this movie, people who support the death penalty are called "fascists." Well, I used to be a flaming Left Winger and I remember calling anyone who disagreed with us a "fascist" back in the '60s, so I guess nothing has changed in that regard.

The main problem with this film isn't the obvious agenda - it's simply that it is boring. It starts off fine, then begins to lag very quickly and by halfway through, I think I began to start snoring. This movie is a "yawner." Pass it up.

He's killing a boss who made a fool of him Replacement, and a wife who talked more than an intelligence informant during the cold war era He wants to be sentenced to death. . .

But someone has other plans.

In my opinion, this film is the top of Gian Maria Volonte's presence in the cinema. It undoubtfully says that before judging someone people should try to find an answer to the question what the reasons for his behavior and his acts are. This production is a very convincing message about the only way of overcoming the General Capital sentence over all the humanity - the way of repentance.