In the history of European cinema and world cinema, it is not so often that successful films about the crimes of the past have been made. Lucian Pintilie, an important film maker from Romania has filled that void by making a truly great humanist film called "The Afternoon of a Torturer". It is a humanist masterpiece as it deals with crimes of the past committed against innocent human beings. Lucian Pintilie succeeds in making a serious film as he eschews a sensationalist approach which is much too common with films where there is a mention of atrocities committed by dictatorial government set ups. In "Dupa-Amiaza Unui Tortionar", an honest attempt is made by people from all walks to life to read the minds of a torturer. This gentle try makes us to have a close dealing with the human face of a torturer. We get to see the weaknesses and strengths of a man who achieved mental pleasure by ill treating fellow human beings. The film has a lot to offer as a harmless, ordinary afternoon turns out to be full of small yet meaningful events. The best service which Lucian Pintilie has done is to have given viewers a chance to ask a very basic question : who is to be blamed if a human being is assigned to torture fellow human beings ?