Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

This "murder mystery" is "more than meets the eye" to the inexperienced.It's difficult to say "specific" things about this film without "spoiling" it.On the artistic level, it is everything that is "correct".I generally don't "and fool. Those of us who have lived in the hood (so to speak), hate to be manipulated, teased, and fooled.Here, though, it is not to "manipulate", not to "tease", not to "fool", but to "validate" the characters.What I can say is that there is a "mystical" quality as well as a "reality" quality, and the two do go hand in hand.That is to say that this might best be called "anti materialism". Here, we see the natural world is a slave to the supernatural world in a way that shows the reality of life at the same time.A bet is made, a sort of Satanic bet in which a "devil" character applies for the role of "Satan".Much as the "usual suspects" apply for the role of "Satan" and make the real Satan show them up in another movie.Except here, the one applying for Satan deals with many factors. He is well blessed, or else he would not be able to begin to apply for a "Satan" role to begin with.This is actually something that does happen in real life. There are actual factions of satanic people, particularly in the U.S. (though this is not set in the U.S.), who tantalize, tease, and torment certain individuals with heinous crimes they know the individual hasn't the resources to prove, solve, or even accuse.In this case, Europe is the setting. And the individual being teased has the benefit of being in some authority.There is much more in this film. I'm not one for twists, but this time the "twists" are not "shark jumping" twists. I don't give it a 10, because I don't like being manipulated at all, so sue me.But it gets the exceptional 9/10. There is much to like about this film, all around.

It's based on Friedrich Durrenmatt's own crime novella, "The Judge and His Hangman" (1950). So if you've read Durrenmatt, you'll know he's sort of an absurdist like Samuel Beckett or Eugene Ionesco.I liked the film at the start, it's oddly weird, especially the funeral of Donald Sutherland with musical mourners and precipitation. It's hilarious. Another funny scene is when Donald Sutherland is being driven in a car by a Swiss cop and he keeps falling over in the seat.I think the problem ultimately is that the whole film seemed like some idiotic farce that was entirely pointless, and it threw it an "unexpected ending" type of denouement that was weak.Donald Sutherland is some cop who's found whacked in a car, and a Swiss Kommisar, played capably by Martin Ritt (American director, Hud (1963), The Molly Maguires (1970), Hombre (1967)) snoops around trying to find out who did it. He uses the aid of Jon Voight, who's another cop. Robert Shaw as "Gastmann" is an ominous character who may or may have not done the killing. There's plenty of fine acting and odd moments, good direction, but again, it gets bogged down too much in idiosyncratic reactions or convoluted conversations.Martin Ritt and Robert Shaw made some type of bet involving the death/murder of some woman both of them loved.Look for Friedrich Durrenmatt himself as some old "self-playing chess" crank who helps out Jon Voight.It's worth a look for all its faults.

Well as others have commented there is some great acting here. My favorite is Robert Shaw as the villain, but Martin Ritt as the inspector is also quite good.The problem is that the plot mostly makes absolutely no sense (I can't believe they didn't somehow change what was in the book), and the denouement is more or less unfathomable. It's almost like they had a great setup and didn't know how to explain things or end them.As others mentioned, the film is enveloped in fog and is quite grainy. Switzerland was never that foggy when I was there! And the music didn't really match the action on the film.All in all, from what I can tell, skip this and try the book.

Martin Ritt is absolutely spellbinding. He embodies one of the most unforgettable men I have ever met on the screen. It is a neat little thriller, and Shaw is fine as the would-be super-villain, but it is Ritt that still haunts my thoughts and dreams years after my three viewings of this film; I would love to get it on tape.