Witchfinder General 666 Best known for his mafia films as well as the sublime Western "A Bullet for the General" (1968), Damiano Damiani doubtlessly ranks among the great directors from the golden era of Italian genre-cinema. And "Confessione Di Un Commissario Di Polizia Al Procuratore Della Republica" aka. "Confession of a Police Comissioner to the District Attorney" of 1971 is doubtlessly one of the man's most remarkable achievements. Unlike the work of other greats of Italian crime/police cinema, such as Fernando Di Leo and Umberto Lenzi, Damiani's mafia films do not so much rely on stylized action and gritty violence, but try to explore the structures of the mafia and the corruption of legal authorities. This gem does so in a most brilliant manner.Every cult-cinema fan's favorite actor Franco Nero plays a young and idealistic prosecutor who is as determined in his will to fight crime and corruption as his firm belief in the law and justice system is unbreakable. When he comes to crime-stronghold Palermo he encounters the aging Police Detective Comissario Buonavia (Martin Balsam), a cop whose ideals and beliefs go beyond his obedience to the law... The film has many qualities, one of the most obvious ones being the acting. Both leading men are nothing short of brilliance in their roles. Franco Nero is magnificent as ever in the role of the devoted man of the law, and Martin Balsam truly shines as the equally idealistic, rough-and-ready cop. Both men seem to be strict followers of their ideals, doing what they believe is right. Yet, there is a mutual distrust between them. The great late Luciano Catenacci is sublime in the role of the slick Mafia Don. Catenacci, one of the greatest regulars in Italian cult-cinema blessed many great films with his presence, including Mario Bava's Gothic masterpiece "Operazione Paura" ("Kill Baby... Kill!", 1966), Umberto Lenzi's hard-boiled Poliziottesco "Milano Odia: La Polizia Non Può Sparare" ("Almost Human", 1974), and this great film. Sadly, this great actor, who mostly played criminals, passed away far too young in 1990. Lovers of Italian cinema will always remember him for his great performances in mostly dubious or thuggish roles. Character actor Claudio Gora gives another memorable performance as the district attorney general."Confessione Di Un Commissario..." is a film with a great story, and the tense plot is perfectly executed. As most of Damiani's films, "Confessione..." is a very political film that uncompromisingly depicts power-structures, corruption and the influence of organized crime on politicians and institutions. But primarily, it is a very suspenseful and highly intense cinematic experience. The tension is underlined by a great visual style and insanely brilliant score by maestro Riz Ortolani. Among fans of Italian crime cinema, some prefer the testosterone-driven excitement of the work of Umberto Lenzi or Enzo Castellari while others love the more intellectual thrills of Damiano Damiani's gems. Personally, I can only say that I'm a huge fan of both. "Confessions of a Police Comissioner..." is a film that should appeal to fans of gritty cult cinema and lovers of subtle suspense alike, and, personally, I could not come up with a single negative aspect about this film, which enjoys a more than justified cult-status. A masterpiece. For fans of Italian genre-cinema, missing it would be a crime.

MARIO GAUCI As was the case with L'ISTRUTTORIA E' CHIUSA: DIMENTICHI (1971), this too proved different to what I had been anticipating - as Martin Balsam is the nominal police-officer hero, while lead Franco Nero is merely an investigating magistrate! When Balsam is bumped off, the film follows Nero's actions but ends on an ambiguous open-ended note. However, Balsam is excellent as the unorthodox and determined Commissioner; Nero, on the other hand, occasionally overacts as the flustered State representative. Marilu' Tolo has a small but pivotal role, and her death sequence is particularly mean.Despite the poliziottesco ambiance, it's far less action-oriented than usual but all the more classy and compelling for this reason; still, when action is required by the narrative, the film rises to the occasion. The complex plot (involving Balsam's backstory told in intermittent flashbacks) takes some effort to follow, but the rewards are reaped eventually. As usual for this sort of film, Riz Ortolani's score is a notable asset. By the way, not only is the surname of Nero's superior, a judge, Malta but other surnames here - such as Bonavia (Balsam's character) and Rizzo - are also typically Maltese!

mag62us This uncompromising look at power and corruption is fascinating. Although I had never heard of the film, the combination of cast, director, and subject matter piqued my curiosity, so I purchased a copy. I am glad I did. While this film is certainly not the most pleasant thing to watch, it does provide a daring insight into the corrupt world of crooked cops on the take and a mafia-controlled system which is frank and disturbing, and must have really been a shock to audiences in 1971. Fine performances and unflinching direction make this movie one which fans of the crime/cop-movie genre will not want to miss.

rundbauchdodo This exceptional Italian crime drama not only presents an extremely plausible and thrilling plot, but also protagonists Franco Nero and Martin Balsam delivering their performances of their lives.Director Damiani, best known for his mafia films (and maybe for "Amityville 2" which stands as his only horror film he ever directed), tells a gripping story about a frustrated police officer (Balsam) who decides to use illegal methods to get his hands on a criminal (probably a member of the mob - but the mafia is not an obvious topic in this film). But Balsam's character is rather tragic than villainous, so one really suffers with him when the district attorney (Nero) lays his hands on him. Nero's character too is not villainous at all, because he's just doing his job.A powerful masterpiece, highly recommended and thoroughly impressive.