The Facts of Murder

A detective is sent to an apartment building in Rome to investigate a robbery. He has a few leads, but nothing pans out. When another tenant is murdered, the detective must try to extract the truth from the multitude of stories he hears. Before he became synonymous with Commedia all'italiana, Pietro Germi directed this crime drama. It presents some of the characteristics of the Italian style comedy, chiefly with the humorous style of the side characters, as well as notes of neo-realism, most certainly in everything that concerns social sensitivity and location. This is a procedural detective film, the strength of which comes from the presence of Germi himself in the lead role. He presents a detective who hides his humanity under a poker face and tries not to let class markers blind him. His investigation builds up into an in-depth look at Italian society.