A Pure Formality

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A Pure Formality

PG-13,

1994,

1h 48m,

Mystery & Thriller/

Crime/

Drama

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Watchlist

80%

5 Reviews

Tomatometer

88%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

5 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Onoff is a once-famous French writer who has remained out of the public eye in recent years, but when the police spot him running in the rain in the general vicinity of a murder site, they take him into custody for questioning. Confronted by the inspector, Onoff claims that he has no recollection of the evening's events, resulting in a back-and-forth between the two men that may or may not result in the uncovering of the truth.

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jan 1, 2000

1.5/4

Having made the splendidly entertaining Cinema Paradiso in 1988, Giuseppe Tornatore now exhibits his versatility with A Pure Formality, which is not entertaining at all.

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Jun 18, 2005

3/5

Nicolas Lacroix

Showbizz.net

Jan 15, 2003

5/5

Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Nov 5, 2002

4/5

Rivetting.

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Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

Aug 29, 2002

Convincing psychological thriller that challenges us to consider the thin line between fantasy and reality.

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Theodore M

Oct 7, 2018

great little masterpiece with nice twist

Finn P

May 4, 2011

Many say that the movie is underrated, but if it's so, it's reasonable. Most of the public in general won't be able to figure out wtf the whole movie was about (sometimes, even spoon-feeding becomes inevitable.....and that goes for me too). The movie also leaves you with many questions unanswered, which also, IMO, is not welcomed by general viewer. As for me, I was impressed with the way the movie moved forward, but as soon as I began to get signs of symbolism, I was kinda put off. After that point, I watched the rest of the movie for a pure formality. Besides, the ending of the movie isn't epic either (based on the assumption that I got it right). So there would be an elite group reserved for this 'different' kind of cinema that would be able to appreciate it, but I can't say how many of the rest would.

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Giuseppe Tornatore

Director

Gérard Depardieu

Onoff

Roman Polanski

Commissario

Sergio Rubini

Giovane gendarme

Nicola Di Pinto

Capitano

Paolo Lombardi

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Synopsis

Onoff is a once-famous French writer who has remained out of the public eye in recent years, but when the police spot him running in the rain in the general vicinity of a murder site, they take him into custody for questioning. Confronted by the inspector, Onoff claims that he has no recollection of the evening's events, resulting in a back-and-forth between the two men that may or may not result in the uncovering of the truth.

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Producer: Mario Cecchi Gori, Vittorio Cecchi Gori
Screenwriter: Giuseppe Tornatore, Pascal Quignard
Production Co: Film Par Film, Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinema
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: Canadian French
Runtime: 1h 48m

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