Had he played it straight, director Elio Petri (Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspicion) might have created an effective thriller; by opting to play it slant, however, he crafted something even better. Equal parts drive-in fodder, Alphaville, and Sleeper, with a high-'60s vision of the future that would make the creators of The Prisoner jealous, Petri's film is an unrestrained satire that literalizes the battle of the sexes.
Keith Phipps
Nisan 19, 2002