Film Review

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

A Pure Formality
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment 05/95 DVD/VHS Feature Film
PG-13 - brief shocking violence, momentary language

A Pure Formality is a riveting psychological thriller written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso). This Italian-French production contains tour de force performances by Gerard Depardieu as a novelist and Roman Polanski as the police inspector who is convinced that he is a murderer.

The cat and mouse game they play is made even more intriguing by the fact that the inspector is an avid fan of the writer. In fact, the literary themes shed an interesting light on the art of storytelling. Tornatore's literate screenplay challenges us to consider the thin line between fantasy and reality and the complicated nature of memory. A Pure Formality will keep you on the edge of your seat with its fascinating psychological twists and turns.

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by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat