Gerard Depardieu is a great actor, and Roman Polanski, though he is more often behind the camera ("Death and the Maiden," "Chinatown," "Rosemary's Baby"), is no slouch either. Their first-rate performances are the reason to see "A Pure Formality," though the film itself is a stagey conceit that never quite catches fire.
Essentially a two-character performance piece, the film begins with an unknown victim being murdered in the dark during a rainstorm. Then we see Depardieu, staggering down a muddy road when he is detained by police.
Arrested and taken to the rundown police station, Depardieu demands to be released, but he is held for questioning as officers await the arrival of the chief inspector (Polanski).
The by-the-book inspector recognizes Depardieu as a famous author and reveals that he is a fan. But he wants the facts, and in true cat-and-mouse fashion, he pries information from Depardieu as we are shown certain events in sometimes conflicting flashbacks.
As it progresses, the film leaves its initial whodunit tendencies and becomes a who-was-killed mystery instead. Later it veers into "Twilight Zone" territory, with more than a little pretentiousness on hand.
Is Depardieu a killer? Is he suffering from amnesia? Is his rage and anger and frustration genuine? These become the primary questions, and in the hands of this actor they become the putty of his convincing per-for-mance.
One might not expect a movie this dark and murky from Giuseppe Torn-a-tore, the Italian filmmaker who gave us the supremely satisfying and much sunnier "Cinema Paradiso." Stark and caustrophobic, "A Pure Formality" strives to explore the nature of guilt and redemption, and it succeeds at least part of the way.
"A Pure Formality" is rated R for violence, nudity and profanity.