The Assassin (Italian: L'assassino) is a 1961 Italian-French crime drama film directed by Elio Petri starring Marcello Mastroianni.
Antiques dealer Alfredo returns to his exclusive apartment in Rome in the early morning hours.
Shortly after, the police arrive and arrest Alfredo, as his former mistress Adalgisa, with whom he had spent the previous night, has been found murdered in her hotel at the seaside.
While Alfredo is in custody, the police research his past and uncover an egotistical, ruthless careerist who uses the people around him to climb the social ladder at any cost, selling fake antiques, having his mistress pay for his expenses and dropping her at the prospect of marrying Nicoletta, the daughter of a rich industrialist.
[2] It was shown in competition at the 11th Berlin International Film Festival June–July the same year and released in France in July 1964.