Absolutely fabulous film from director, Elio Petri, this is Italian crime without a car chase or punch up (well almost). More than a hint of the politics in the title and this is such a well told tale of corruption and theft. Or to put it another way, the rich person's crimes versus those of the poor. What is worse creaming off the cash on a building project or stealing someone's jewellery? When I first heard the film was political and comedic, I was very wary but how well this is done and the comic moments are funny and are not slapstick silliness. All the performances are great including a wonderful one from Daria Nicolodi (she of many early Argento movies) as she hobble about in heels and hot pants. The main storyline follows a humble young bank cashier who takes offence at the crimes of the local butcher (who has fingers in many pies) and decides to try and teach him a lesson. I had never heard of this film before but am stunned at the quality of the film and can unreservedly recommend this for I sat smiling throughout, constantly being stimulated by the arguments around the notion of theft. Major discovery and now for the rest of the trilogy.
