4xblu’s online store received a trio of globetrotting titles today that consists of a German Blu-ray of Anthony Mann’s “The Fall of the Roman Empire,” an Australian edition of Phillip Noyce’s “Blind Fury,” and Elio Petri’s “L’Assassino” from England’s Arrow Video.
“L’Assassino” was Petri’s first feature, and from the start it was evident that the director had a gift for presenting both the opulence of postwar Italy’s social elite and the moral turpitude he felt was rampant in Italian society. The film pits Marcello Mastroianni’s Alfredo (an antique dealing scoundrel who enriches himself by peddling forgeries that has come under suspicion for murdering his wealthy lover) against an oppressive police force led by an inspector willing to engage in all manner of treachery to get his man. Yes, Alfredo is a man of low character, but how do his sins compare with the actions of those entrusted with upholding justice? And what of this amoral society of which they are products? To what extent are they accountable?