Those who anticipate, as I did, that this will be yet another of the Alain Delon 'policiers' of this period, are in for a pleasant surprise.
In the classic French policier/film noirs the goodies and the baddies are sharply defined but in the hybrid 'neo-polar' genre that flourished in the 1970's one is none too sure whom to trust. The dark and sinister forces at work here are the corrupt politicians, dodgy policemen and shadowy multi-nationals.
This stylish piece directed by Georges Lautner is arguably one of the best of its type. It is a little verbose but with dialogue by Michel Audiard spoken by this excellent cast one doesn't mind too much.
The 'uncredited' contribution to the screenplay by Claude Sautet serves to enhance the film's quality.
Alain Delon is at the height of his popularity here and received a César nomination for his performance as a moral crusader. He both produces and stars and again plays opposite the splendid Maurice Ronet while Stéphane Audran, Daniel Ceccaldi and Klaus Kinski are great value as always. By all accounts Herr Kinski, much to everyone's surprise and relief, turned out to be a real pussycat. Delon's partner at the time, Mireille Darc, who made a few films for this director, has a pretty thankless role as Delon's partner! The eye candy is supplied by Ornella Muti. Who is the murderer? Well, as Agatha Christie reminds us, it is always the one you suspect the least.
Tremendous production values here with legendary Henri Decae replacing Lautner's regular cameraman Maurice Fellous. Lautner has again used the much respected composer Philippe Sarde and as a bonus we have the sound of the saxaphone played by the brilliant but troubled Stan Getz. The film just about sustains its length.
France is certainly no stranger to political scandals so this particular genre must really have struck a cord but of course the French do not have a monopoly in this regard.
As a certain Henry Kissinger once observed: "Corrupt politicians make the other 10% look bad"!
