A Pure Formality

Frenetic, fractured opening in black and white; a gunshot, a man running; heavy rain, forest all around. The man (Gerard Depardieu) is picked up by the police and taken to an isolated, ramshackle building where he is questioned by a mysterious inspector (Roman Polanski); the film unfolds as a shadowy metaphysical thriller more concerned with exploring various big questions (to do with guilt, remorse, memory, and death, to name just a few) than simply 'whodunnit'. The last, and only previous, time I saw this was in high school, probably about seven or eight years ago, when I thought that it was brilliant (I was right into French films at that point and was all into this kind of thing; plus, the twist blew my mind); it was nowhere near as good this time round but still had a certain appealing murky style to it.