Complex thriller about a dying veteran police inspector, Hans Barlach (Ritt), and his tenacious efforts to nail the man who, 30 years before, killed the woman both men loved. His new assistant, Walter Tschantz (Voight), brings fresh life and new methods to the case and he expands the
investigation to include the murder of Barlach's previous assistant. An additional facet of the strange story finds Anna Crawley (Bisset) also attempting to solve the assistant's murder.
Swiss playwright Duerrenmatt, who collaborated on the screenplay, is known for his treatment of the bizarre, and his authority over the filming of this story is evident in the layers of confusion spread over it until the denouement. Ritt, best known as a director (HUD, SOUNDER, THE FRONT, NORMA
RAE), is excellent in a rare acting role. In contrast director Schell is best known for his acting (JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBURG, THE MAN IN THE GLASS BOOTH, JULIA). Donald Sutherland makes one of the strangest cameo appearances on record as the corpse that triggers the investigation. leave a comment
