The greatest movie ever made..!

Fantastic!

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Of course ignorance can be tolerated, but sometimes enough is enough. So I must reply to Mr. ccthemovieman-1, whose comment really goes over the top, as shown in the following quote : « 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. » Well, it's because in this Italian film, the action is taking place in 1938 - that is, under the Fascist regime. So "the people who support death penalty" are not CALLED the fascists, they ARE the fascists, the real thing, the genuine article : fascismo (1922-1944). Nothing to do with the blatant ignorance of fascism displayed in the sixties by some American 'Liberal' activist, which by now has become the blatant ignorance of fascism displayed by some American 'Conservative' activist. As is well known, death penalty in Italy was abolished in 1890, reinstalled in 1922 by Mussolini's regime and abolished again in 1946.Now this Gianni Amelio courtroom drama (watch out the SPOILERS are coming) tells us the story of a 1938 magistrate (Gian Maria Volontè) who while not being exactly an antifascist, has always been at odds with the 1922 reenactment of death penalty and is now trying to find some loopholes or small print or mitigating circumstances of any kind to avoid delivering a death penalty verdict at the trial he's presiding - except that the accused is as uncooperative as possible since the guy WANTS to be executed.I shall also add that the Leonardo Sciascia book from which the movie is adapted is based on a true story. A writer with the mentality of an historian, Mr. Sciascia has been digging into old Sicilian trials that took place during the Ventennio (i.e. Fascist era) and found this story. So the movie is also a living page of history. The fascists in the story are called the fascists because they are the fascists.ccthemovieman-1 should stick to watching American movies, period. Anyway, aren't American movies the best ? Of course they are. So why not keep watching them and forget about the rest.

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.

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.

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.