The film as recrimination of reality because reality itself could not reconcile itself. It is paradoxical that those in power stay in power even, or perhaps most, when they are most indicted, because who's going to believe the word of a nobody citizen against that of one above suspicion? It can't be happening, even when it is happening, already happening, because it can't possibly be happening. Mass cognitive dissonance; the powerful warp how reality is experienced. These abuses are absurd because absurdity is a tool, unbelievable, so they are no longer believed. It is only in retrospect that the paradox is unpacked, abuses confessed to because they are relegated to the past. These things used to happen but not anymore. Now? That's absurd. There is no abuse. Something like that could not possibly happen now.
“Everyone is innocent here.”American Psycho meets Rope meets an “every politician, billionaire, and figure of authority should eat shit and die” mentality. An all too real black satire that transcends borders, cultures, generations, and political lines in depicting the outright arrogance of those who wield the “rules for thee but not for me” power to protect themselves from scrutiny and self-righteously determine the consequences of their own pompous actions. I could go on for hours waxing a symphony of hatred towards the untouchable narcissists of society who freely deal in corruption, bribery, blackmail, extortion, censorship, persecution, and murder knowing full well that even if they were to lead Johnny Law by the nose and explicitly confess all their sins, nothing would ever come of it—but instead I’ll just praise the ever living fuck out of Gian Maria Volonté and his ungodly performance as a man who does exactly that. Who’d a thunk that the dirty little cowboy opposite Clint Eastwood in all those spaghetti westerns could turn in something this spectacular? Special shoutout to Morricone too for having the stones to assign a goofy ass Pink Panther-ish score to what basically serves as a big “fuck you” note to all the bigwigs at the head of the table. Not that they care.Sadly, this shit is just something that will be relevant forever, in all societies, across all political landscapes. Power is as power does; there are no good guys. The inevitability of human nature at its finest. Well, until whoever you vote for is in charge, of course. Then stuff like this would never happen. Obviously. I mean, how could it?
