Dernier domicile connu

Inspector Marceau Leonetti (Lino Ventura) gets demoted after arresting a young kid whose father has connections. He is assigned to a small town where the biggest crime is helping a kid locate his stolen pigeons and, later, working alongside newbie Jeanne Dumas (Marlène Jobert) to bust perverts in movie theaters. Their careers take an upswing when, unbeknown to Leonetti, his former boss assigns him the futile task of finding a witness in 8 days before a major murder trial. What his superiors didn't count on was Leonetti's tenacity in finding this uncooperative witness and the fact that the accused also has some men out with the same task. This is the third film from director José Giovanni (writer of THE SICILIAN CLAN) and it proves to be a pretty grim affair. There is a lot of commentary on the rat (or should I say ant) race as Leonetti is just a cog in the wheel of justice (at one point Jeanne event comments on his unending searching, asking if he is a robot). Audiences will probably feel the most connection with Jobert's character as she is tackling the assignment with a fresh belief in "the system." Ventura is awesome in the lead role of the seen-it-all vet and he has a great fight scene toward the end. You'll probably see the end coming, but it still has quite an impact thanks to a matter-of-fact presentation by Giovanni.

Classic French Polar film with two greatest stars of the seventies : homely , craggy-looking mug Lino Ventura and attractive Marlene Jovert . Rude police inspector Léonetti (brutish, burly-framed presence Lino Ventura) , a two-fisted , violent cop detains a son of powerful lawyer and this one seeks vengeance . As soon as chief inspector to be aware , Leonetti has been sent to a suburban district after being reprimanded . Leonetti is angry to be moved a second-rate police station but he is assigned to form a peculiar team . There he meets young and beautiful Jeanne Dumas (Marlene Jovert) who is given as his colleague . Both of whom join forces to catch small-time delinquents . Later on , the duo formed by the efficient policeman and the rookie cop are soon assigned a very difficult assignment : to find a missing witness whose evidence is instrumental in convicting a killer called Soramon (Heron) . They start searching throughout Paris , asking neighbours , finding several tracks and red herrings . Meanwhile , they are pursued by a mysterious gangster called Greg (Michael Constantin) .

This is a suspense ¨Polar¨ or French Noir film in which intrigue and thriller is continuous . From the beginning to the end it turns out to suspenseful , including well developing of interesting characters , and for that reason is entertaining . The movie has great loads of emotion , dark-edged drama , tension and intriguing events . Exciting and thought-provoking screenplay by the same Jose Giovanni , based on the novel titled ¨Dernier Domicile Connu¨ written by Joseph Harrington . Studio-character about unsettling characters damned to inevitable tragedies , powerful finale , stylized set pieces heightens the suspense and tension have place in all Jose Giovanni's film-making . One of his favourite actors was Lino Ventura , whom Jose directed many times . Actors' interpretation is excellent , as Lino Ventura , as Marlene Jobert . Ventura as a serious as well as tough cop with dark past is magnificent . Lino was a big French star and ex-boxer , looking for gangster types for his next film , director Jacques Becker gave the inexperienced 34-year-old his first acting job as bad guy support to star Jean Gabin in the crime thriller ¨Hand off the loot¨ (1954) . Lino went on to appear with Gabin in several of the star's subsequent movies , often playing a gangster , including "Crime and Punishment" , ¨Speaking of Murder¨ and ¨Maigret¨. Lino came into his own as a tough-nut character star in the 1960s playing both sides of the moral fence , as policeman or mobster . Lino appeared in scores of films now considered classic French cinema . His peculiar aspect took the form of various criminals types as in ¨Second Breath¨ (1966) and ¨Happy New Year¨ (1973) as well as dogged , good-guy inspectors in ¨The incorruptible¨ (1975) or ¨The French Detective¨ , ¨Illustrious Corpses¨ (1976), and ¨The Grilling¨ . He played other unforgettable films , such as ¨The Three penny Opera¨ , ¨Modigliani¨, ¨The adventurers¨ , The slap¨, ¨Jailbird's vacation¨ , ¨The army of shadows¨ , ¨Witness in the City¨ and ¨Joe Valachi's papers¨ . Support cast is pretty good , as Paul Crauchet , Michael Constantine and uncredited Serge Marquand .

Evocative and atmospheric cinematography by Etienne Becker is simply riveting . Special mention for musical score by François De Roubaix , it's sensitive and agreeable , including a feeling leitmotif . The motion picture was well produced by Jacques Bar and compellingly written/directed by Jose Giovanni , making a memorable work , though sometimes results to be slow-moving . Giovanni participated in the French Resistance during World War II . Worked as a lumberjack , diver , mountain guide and coal miner . Jose wrote 20 novels, 2 memories' books , 33 scripts , and directed 15 movies and 5 TV movies . His novel, "Le Trou," ("The hole", slang for prison) , which became a classic film , was based on his own escape attempt from a Paris prison . Director Jacques Becker bought the rights of the book and directed it in 1959 , considered to be the best prison movie . That's how José Giovanni entered the cinema world . He became a well-known dialoguist , scenarist too, working many times with Jacques Becker . Then he directed his first movie in 1966 , "La Loi Des Survivants" , while he was still writing novels about gangsters , cops , prison and manly friendship . He was a purveyor of a certain kind of noir movie , creating his own company and a tiny studio . Some of his films , many are based from his own novels , include Le Rapace (1968), La Scoumoune (1972) , The gypsy (1975) , Boomerang (1976) , and Le Ruffian (1983). Giovanni directed some great French actors as Alain Delon , Jean Gabin , Jean-Paul Belmondo , and , of course , Lino Ventura .

This might be my Jose Giovanni favorite.His third movie,it is perhaps his most endearing one.A really unusual thriller,which uses urban landscapes with great skill.We often seem to be lost in an ocean of windows ,which makes sense,because the plot is actually a search.

Two cops,a man and a woman, (Ventura and Jobert)are looking for a witness for the prosecution .That man seems to have disappeared.So their investigation looks like a treasure hunt.They meet a lot of people,some of whom have known the mysterious guy.They learn that he is a widower living with his daughter.The girl herself is an enigma,being described as a fairy tale princess by some (Paul Crauchet) or a vicious Lolita (the woman with the cat).The woman cop even dreams of them,and that sequence is really excellent,as they seem more and more to be a mirage.

There is something of John Huston in the conclusion of "dernier domicile connu" (last known address).It deals with cowardice ,sadness and despair,one of the harshest endings Giovanni ever filmed.Even if they succeeded in their mission,the two cops realize that they have been manipulated and that they have completely destroyed two human beings' happiness.

Marlène Jobert has perhaps never been better than here.Once a enthusiastic rookie ,her despair is intense when the movie ends.Ventura portrays a fallen cop from the beginning: He was relegated to a local police station after having arrested a drunken rich kid.Disillusioned ,but still believing in what he's doing,he will become a broken man as the last lines read:life is lost when you did not live your life as you would have liked to.

Good directing,fine acting,and as usual ,wonderful score by François de Roubaix.

In a nutshell, I'd call this police drama 'pretty good'. But not nearly as excellent as some reviewers have made it out to be. On the plus side are the standout performances of tough cop Lino Ventura and his rookie assistant, the enchanting Marlène Jobert.

In the early 1970s Jobert was probably France's most in-demand actress, so lovely and so endearing that it was hard not to fall in love with her. I succombed immediately on seeing her irresistible performance in René Clément's classic Rider on the Rain, where she is perfectly paired with the redoubtable Charles Bronson.

Also on the plus side are many gorgeous glimpses of Paris, by day and by night. On the minus side though, is the contrived drama of the movie. Like many French police films of the period, it tries too hard to be more than a police story. It strives to be a meaningful essay on modern society, morality and lost illusions.

Still, it's pretty good, and if you're a fan of directors like Sidney Lumet, Arthur Penn and Elia Kazan, you'll probably find a great deal to like in Dernier domicile connu.

But if your taste runs more toward Alfred Hitchcock and Fritz Lang, you can skip this one and go directly to Rider on the Rain.

An undercover policeman goes trough Paris to find a man whose testimony is the pivotal point to convict a murderer. Good action film, with very good use of editing and music to create tension, however the acting and plot seem to make it a middle ground affair.