"How to Kill a Judge" is a methodically paced, politically loaded Italian crime drama showcasing ever-charismatic Franco Nero to great effect. Nero plays Giacomo Solaris, a filmmaker whose latest project becomes a big success. In it, he portrays a chief prosecutor as corrupt and in the Mafias' pocket. Then, later in real life, the man who served as the basis for this character is murdered. As the question of how much blame Solaris should get for this event is posed, the filmmaker is concerned enough to do his own sleuthing. Sometimes he does this with the prosecutors' widow (Francoise Fabian) at his side.
This film might not have quite enough action or violence to suit some fans of that genre known as "Poliziotteschi", which is Italian crime fiction. What it has is plenty of dialogue, as it pointedly goes about examining themes such as politics, corruption, personal accountability, and how far some people will go to protect their own interests. Context is also important, as when this was made, Italy was experiencing an era of politically-motivated violence.
Director Damiano Damiani, who also concocted the story, makes fine use out of various locations, and gets vivid performances out of his well chosen cast. Nero is fun to watch, as he is usually is, and there are some striking character faces among the cast: Vincenzo Norvese as Bellolampo the mobster, Luciano Catenacci as Meloria the attorney, Gianni Zavota as police commissioner Zamagna, etc.
One element that really stands out is the melodic, wonderful soundtrack composed by Riz Ortolani, famous among horror fans for his memorable score for "Cannibal Holocaust".
All in all, this is pretty good, but with so much talk going on, one really has to pay attention to stay on their toes.
Seven out of 10.
