Brigades volantes

"Il bivio" means "the crossroad" ,a well-chosen title for a film which tells the story of a man who's sitting on the fence .The fence between right and wrong. He joined the police but he is still part of a gang ;after the war ,when he wanted to be clean, he was not able to bring himself to leave his former partner in crime .And he's all the more pivotal to them for he can fool his colleagues with red herrings and warn the gangsters if the police gets wind of their plans.

Playing a double game is not easy ,particularly when you fall for a girl and long for a family life ,and mainly after the murder of an innocent woman disguised as suicide .

Raf Vallone is excellent as this tormented soul ,and Charles Vanel ,in a part a la commissaire Maigret ,gives him a run for his money ;The French actor is so subtle an actor one does not know exactly when he begins to suspect his new recruit. Besides ,there's almost a father/son relationship between the two men .French Claudine Dupuis provides the love interest. A really good film noir.