Director: Pierre Granier-Deferre
Year: 1975
Country:
France
Rating:
7.0
Aka - The French Detective
By 1975, the policiers in the USA, Italy
and elsewhere had rubbed off on French crime films as well. They were grittier
and more violent than they had been in the 60s and who better to play a tough
cop than Lino Ventura. Ventura whether playing a good guy or a crook is always
the solid foundation of the film. Like a rock that the waves pointlessly
crash against. He is always so believable in his roles - the beaten down
face, words that nearly have to be ripped out of his mouth and the stolid
boxy body has character and strength. The strength of an ex-boxer that he
had been. He had that quiet tough guy charisma that only a few like Bronson,
Eastwood, Gabin had back then. At the same time director Pierre Granier-Deferre
never veers too much towards a Dirty Harry styled film but retains a French
sensibility about the film - a playfulness at times and a casual systemic
corruption that is just accepted.
Commissaire Verjeat runs a group in the
Homicide Division. Respected by his men but not loved by his superiors
for playing by his rules. His righthand man Inspector Lefevre is played by
rising star Patrick Dewaere and the two are very different. You can see that
Lefevre idolizes his boss but enjoys fooling around and slacking off when
he can. When one of his men is killed by a thug working for a politician
running for President, Verjeat goes into overdrive to track the thug down
but also tie him to the politician. The bosses want him to pull back and
even want to transfer him, but they killed one of his men and you go wherever
you have to. Suspenseful and edgy without any side stories to slow it down.
A couple shoot-outs and an ending that is very French. An American film would
never end that way.
