On a minimal budget and a striking cast, Bertolucci provided sharp, tight, and insightful direction telling details, such as the radio station announcing the precise time as the protagonist rings the doorbell exactly when he said he would - the Conformist. The tension comes when he is required to lure his favourite professor into place to be assassinated. How can he refuse a direct order? His personal values are crushed in the dilemma. Brilliantly, reealingly handled.
