A Pure Formality (1995)

Synopsis: Two legendary screen talents go head-to-head in this intriguing, utterly original psychological thriller, described by one critic as "Colombo meets Kafka." Gerard Depardieu stars as Onaff, a famed... Two legendary screen talents go head-to-head in this intriguing, utterly original psychological thriller, described by one critic as "Colombo meets Kafka." Gerard Depardieu stars as Onaff, a famed French novelist who is arrested in a small provincial town when he is found breathless and disoriented in a raging storm. Although he has committed no crime, the local police call in The Inspector (Roman Polanski, in a brilliantly brittle performance), who interrogates Onaff about the identity of a mutilated murder victim found near Onaff's home. Almost all of the action takes place in the dark and leaky provincial police station, where Onaff and The Inspector spend the entire evening playing a brutal game of cat-and-mouse. Through flashbacks, distortions, and outright lies, the well-matched adversaries plumb the depths of the mystery before reaching the astonishing truth. A dark and suspenseful rumination on memory and the ability to reconstruct one's own life story, this character-driven thriller is a clausterphobic homage to the surreal storytelling of Kafka and Samuel Beckett. Featuring a haunting soundtrack from Italian master Ennio Morricone, A PURE FORMALITY is a chilling drama directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. [More]

Starring: Gérard Depardieu, Roman Polanski, Sergio Rubini

Starring: Gérard Depardieu, Roman Polanski, Sergio Rubini

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Screenwriter: Giuseppe Tornatore
Composer: Ennio Morricone

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