Films francais
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Adieu, poulet
1975 Crime / Drama / Thriller
 
Credits
  • Director: Pierre Granier-Deferre
  • Script: Raf Vallet, Francis Veber
  • Photo: Jean Collomb
  • Music: Philippe Sarde
  • Cast: Lino Ventura (Verjeat), Patrick Dewaere (Lefevre), Victor Lanoux (Pierre Lardatte), Julien Guiomar (Ledoux), Pierre Tornade (Pignol), Françoise Brion (Marthe, la patronne du bordel), Claude Rich (Juge Delmesse), Michel Peyrelon (Roger), Claude Brosset (Antoine Portor), Gérard Hérold (Moitrié), Gérard Dessalles (Ransac), Jacques Rispal (Mercier), Patrick Feigelson (Louis), Henri Lambert (Norbert), Jean-Yves Gautier (Letellier)
  • Country: France
  • Language: French
  • Runtime: 91 min
  • Aka: The French Detective
 
 
 
Summary
In the French city of Rouen an election is marred by a fight between the supporters of two of the candidates. In the fracas a man is beaten to death and the killer then shoots a passing police officer! The officer has time to warn his colleagues that the killer is Proctor, a well-known thug whose brother is campaigning on behalf of law and order candidate Lardatte!  Commissaire Verjeat's pursuit of Proctor is hampered by Lardatte for whom he has a personal dislike and misses no opportunity to humiliate. As a result he then finds himself with a very short time to capture Proctor, since he faces a promotion and a posting outside of Rouen, which will take him off the case. Verjeat is sure that this is courtesy of Lardatte and his police contacts!  To cap it all, his sidekick, the eccentric Inspector Lefevre, implicates them both in a case of police corruption!

Review
This French police drama focuses mainly on the politics of the police department and the often dubious relationship between police, criminals and politicians. What could be a routine docu-drama is enlivened by the contrasting performances of the no-nonsense Ventura and jester-like Dewaere. And there are also exciting moments like a siege of the city hall and an attempted arrest of Proctor, which is ruined when Lefevre's change falls out of his pocket!

© Mark Treuthardt 2003

 

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