You are here:

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion

Name: Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
Director: Elio Petri
Released: 1970
Duration: 111 min

Representation Score

5.5/10

Fair

1970

Director

Elio Petri

Runtime

111 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The film's demographic diversity is limited, reflecting its historical setting within the Italian state bureaucracy. However, it offers a significant intellectual critique of state power and institutional corruption, using moral relativism to challenge traditional views of justice. Ultimately, the film prioritizes a critical examination of systemic oppression over broad demographic representation, positioning itself as a progressive work despite its narrow focus.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on the male-dominated hierarchies of the Italian police and judiciary, lacking any significant queer narratives.

How does Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion portray gender?

Fair

The film explores gender dynamics through the protagonist's manipulative influence over his wife, though it does not actively challenge patriarchal hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion?

Limited

The cast is predominantly white and represents the upper echelons of 1970s Rome's bureaucracy, avoiding harmful stereotypes but lacking diverse representation.

How does Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film critiques the police and judiciary as corrupt tools of the ruling class, challenging the notion of these institutions as moral bastions.

Does Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion include disability representation?

Limited

The film does not depict physical or neurodivergent disabilities, focusing instead on psychological warfare.

Present on Screen

Provides a sophisticated and aggressive deconstruction of state power and institutional corruption.
Challenges traditional Western notions of justice through a lens of moral relativism.
Offers a profound critique of the ruling class and the machinery of the state.

Limited or Absent

Lacks diverse representation, focusing almost exclusively on a white, upper-echelon bureaucracy.
Maintains traditional structures with no significant queer representation.
Features limited representation of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Rome, Italy. After committing a heinous crime, a senior police officer exposes evidence incriminating him because his moral commitment prevents him from circumventing the law and the social order it protects.

How are these scores produced? →