Summary
Having won some money in a bet, six men agree to a strange pact. They will separate
for five years, each attempting to build a fortune from his portion of the winnings.
After five years, they will meet up and share between them the wealthy they have accumulated.
Five years later, two of the men are killed just before the six can meet up to conclude
the pact. Commissaire Wens is assigned to investigate the case, assisted by his
star-struck girlfriend Mila Malou. Wens soon discovers that someone is trying
to eliminate each of the six men – but for what purpose?
Review
This early example of the French mystery crime thriller (or ‘polar’) manages
to evoke the American film noir genre which inspired it, most notably in the shadowy sets
and atmospheric photography. It also manages to bring in another important
genre of American cinema in the 1930s and ‘40s, the lavish song and dance film,
with an impressive staging of a French music hall performance.
The film was based on a novel by the Belgian writer, Stanislas-André Steeman, which
was adapted by Henri-Georges Clouzot. The latter would direct his first film the
following year, L’Assassin
habite au 21, an adaptation of another novel by the same writer, with Pierre Fresnay
again playing the part of the cool (but patient) Commissioner Wens.
Whilst this is an entertaining film, with an ingenious plot and a curious blend of comedy
and whodunnit, it lacks the menace and suspense of Clozout’s own films.
Nonetheless, the acting is impressive, with Fresnay and the bubbling Suzy Delair particularly
pleasing to watch.
© James Travers 2001
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