Inaugurating a cycle of cinema politico in Italy, Petri's Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion is a dark and satirical political thriller set during a time of internal political disturbance, where a psychopathic Roman police inspector (Volonté) cracks down with relish on the political dissidents of the day. After slashing the throat of his masochistic mistress (Bolkan), the inspector is perversely put in charge of the investigation. With sadistic pleasure, he plants clues that implicate himself and then craftily diffuses them, ostensibly to prove his invincibility. As director Petri's split-second edits rocket back and forth between flashback and detection, Investigation becomes a biting critique of Italian police methods and authoritarian repression, a psychological study of a budding crypto-fascist, and a probing why-dunnit. The iciest of film noirs, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion won the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film of 1970.

Elio Petri's contribution to the anthology film High Infidelity, a collection of works by then-contemporary Italian directors offering amusing takes on marriage and betrayal, stars Charles Aznavour as a wealthy entrepreneur desperately trying to seduce and satisfy a mysterious woman (Claire Bloom). He goes to fantastic lengths to overcome what is revealed to be the woman's 'ailment' with humorous results. Although narratively slight in comparison with Petri's more pointed political satires, the film reveals the directors sharp eye for modern design.