Dirty Hands (1000) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language

1000 · 237 mins · Italian

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Directed by

Elio Petri

Starring

Marcello Mastroianni, Giorgio Trestini, Massimo Foschi, Vanni De Lucia, Omero Antonutti, Giovanni Visentin

Set in the fictional central‑European state of Illyria toward the end of World II, a young operative is placed as secretary in the home of a prominent left‑wing politician. Ordered by the Communist Party to kill the politician, who is suspected of a conciliatory strategy with rival factions. The assignment sparks a moral conflict as loyalty to the Party clashes with the personal ties he forms in the household.