Assassin, The (1961)

Director: Elio Petri

Notable Cast: Marcello Mastroianni, Micheline Presle, Cristina Gajoni, Salvo Randone, Marco Mariani, Franco Ressel, Giovanna Gagliardo, Paolo Panelli, Toni Ucci

As the second film from director Elio Petri that we are reviewing this month, The Assassin is also his debut and it’s a doozy. Playing out like a kind of murder mystery with noir elements, the film is not nearly as upfront with its layered commentary as the other film we just reviewed (the very awesome Property Is No Longer a Theft), but the effective way that it unravels its story in a leaping structure and the crisp manner that the film builds into its third act makes it one that we cannot recommend enough. It may not be the most original film out there, but the execution is immaculate and this Arrow Academy release belongs in any self-respecting cinephile’s collection.

Property Is No Longer a Theft (1973)

Director: Elio Petri

Notable Cast: Ugo Tognazzi, Flavio Bucci, Daria Nicolodi, Salvo Randone, Mario Scaccia

Property Is No Longer a Theft is the kind of film that I had to chew on for quite some time before putting a single word down about it. Part of this is because the film defies the limits of the genres that it fringes on, never settling on one to be the focus and instead existing in the blurred spectrum of definition. The other part is that the film is odd in its execution. It’s a film where themes and focuses between characters and plot seemingly float in and out leaving far more questions about what the intent of the film was and its commentary than anything else. It’s a lot to chew on. It’s no wonder that Arrow Academy decided to give the film a nice robust home video release. Property Is No Longer a Theft is the kind of artistic film that rests just below the mainstream appeal of a loud cult audience that will stand up for it as years go by, yet it deserves some kind of attention because of its artistic merit. While my initial feelings on the film are mixed, there is mad respect for Arrow Academy to give this film some love and dedicated cinephiles should most certainly experience it for themselves to see how they feel about the entire thing.