Address book.

morrison-dylan-fan

After recently re-watching auteur director Julien Duvivier excellent Film Noir Chair De Poule,I decided to look around for other French Film Noir titles scattered around my bedroom.Being close to giving up on finding a movie that I would match my liking,I was delighted to stumble upon a wonderful sounding mystery French Film Noir,which led to me getting ready to track down the last known address.

The plot:

Receiving one complaint too many on his brand of justice,the police captain demotes rebellious police inspector Marceau Leonetti to a desk job.As Leonetti sits at a desk,a major trail begins on a criminal who the police have been desperate to catch.With less than 2 weeks to go before the trail,the police are told by the judge that they must find another witness,or the case will fall apart.

Finding every cop to be hitting nothing but dead ends,the police chief decides to give Leonetti a second chance,by giving him 5 days to track down a lead witness in the case called Roger Martin.Desperate to keep Leonetti's temper under control,Leonetti is assigned a rookie cop called Jeanne Dumas,who is to follow Leonetti along on every step of the case.As Leonetti & Dumas get closer to tracking down Martin,they both begin to discover how little regard the police hold important witnesses in.

View on the film:

Filmed on the outskirts miles away from any tourist spots,writer/directing auteur José Giovanni (aka: Joseph Damiani-who almost went to the gallows,and supported the Nazis in their occupation of France!)and cinematographer Étienne Becker give Paris a raw, drenched-out appearance ,which along with tapping into the Film Noir atmosphere,also gives the title strong Neo-Realist notes,thanks to Giovanni peeling the grime off the streets of Paris across the screen.Backed by an ultra-smooth score from François de Roubaix,Giovanni allows moments of dazzling style to rise from the murky streets,with expertly handled whip-pans being use to show Leonetti & Dumas circling in on Martin.

Adapting Joseph Harrington's novel,Giovanni displays a precise skill in transferring the story from dirty cop shenanigans to deeply cynical Film Noir,with Giovanni keeping the investigation moving at a surprisingly quick-draw pace,as Leonetti gradually begins to suspect that using his fists should not be the first option he takes in solving a crime.Whilst he delivers a message on the failure to protect witnesses in an explicit manner,Giovanni unexpectedly allows a subtle warmth to develop between Leonetti and Dumas,that is kept away from any ill-fitting romantic notes,by Giovanni instead showing both of them gain respect for the others investigation skills.

Whilst she is now perhaps best known for being Eva Green's mum, Marlène Jobert gives an excellent performance as Jeanne Dumas that combines Dumas tomboy-like nature with a genuine,sweet sincerity to "do the right thing."Kicking the movie off by punching any thug that gets in his way, Lino Ventura gives a marvellous,tough Noir performance as Leonetti,with Ventura covering Leonetti's face with world-weary scars,as Leonetti & Dumas visit the address.

score 10/10

morrison-dylan-fan 3 December 2014

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3135358/