I am an admitted sucker for good French cinema, and this movie works on so many levels, I will be annoying friends for months praising this film's attributes.
This movie works as a murder mystery, love story, and character study. Eric Cantona (he's a sports star of some sort over there) is amazingly dignified and repressed as the police inspector with the magic touch, coupled with his dysfunctional eating habits and personal life. Rachida Brakni (fresh off her glorious performance in "Chaos"), lights up the screen as the potential killer/object of the commissioner's desires. The plot weaves in and out with skill, and the beautiful port of Marseilles should get equal billing along with the lead actors, used in much the same way as in the films of Robert Guédiguian.
This film should (if justice prevails) get distribution by Miramax/Sony Classics or someone with a half a brain, because for 90 short minutes, an amazing web is weaved. This is a great film, and American audiences should not be deprived of its charms.
See this once, and you will want to see it again.
Art Blose
