Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion

The Dottore (Gian Maria Volonté) has just been promoted to head of the political section of the Rome police, and he wants to know whether his position puts him beyond the reach of the law. To find out, he kills his mistress Augusta Terzi (Florinda Bolkan) and begins leaving clues for his own colleagues to follow. Elio Petri keeps the camera on the Dottore's face, which stays composed and watchful even as the evidence piles up in plain sight.