Bellamy

I only found later that the movie was greatly inspired in Simenon's detective. Indeed the simplicity, unclear methods and distracted although focused attitudes corresponds to Maigret in great detail. The main difference is Depardieu's tender relationship with his wife, completely absent in the novel. Another difference, Bellamy's brother is maybe a weak point.

Major criticism refers to the lack of deepness of the characters and the plain performance of Depardieu. It did not affect me at all. The movie is light, intriguing and pictures nicely some aspects of French lifestyle. It was a pleasure to see Nimes and a joyful Maigret on the screen.

Marie Bunel as Françoise Bellamy is the real keeper in this movie. In a world where nothing is as it seems, she is just as much an enigma. The scenery is the second best co-star in this flick.

The movie does move slow and if Gérard Depardieu gets any fatter he won't fit on the television screen. It will become a requirement that his movies must be watched at the cinema.

His performance is uninspiring. Save this movie for a rainy Sunday afternoon.

What would you expect for a man that sums himself up by saying, "I'm not a monster, I'm just a man who wants to pee."

Bellamy (Depardieu) is a famous Parisian police detective on vacation in Nimes with his wife. He is intrigued by a local scandal involving an insurance scam and death. The perpetrator of the scam contacts Bellamy for his advice.

His curiosity is roused and he meets the con.

I agree with the reviewer who said this slow moving boring film has a bunch of subplots that never seem to go any where. I would add the film tries to be deep with tons of meaning of life dialogue. This mixture comes off as vapid.

I suppose the main subplot concerned Bellamy's (Depardieu) brother Jacques (Clovis Cornillac) who is miscast at 20 years younger than Depardieu. In the end we find out that Bellamy almost choked him to death as a child. So?

Look this movie is a dud. Even with the tantalizing evidence of a twist ending of sorts. It is too vapid = a non suspenseful non thriller non anything waste of time.

Also Depardieu's naughty sexual behavior towards his wife is a pathetic prop to add virility to this fading obese star. Depardieu is also portrayed as a sort of a walking Socrates plum full of contemplative dialogues--the worst sort of French film flaw---talk talk talk talk....

Do not rent or watch this film.

I suppose when I rate this movie more highly than many other people it's because I haven't had enough exposure to Claude Chabrol. For me this falls under the category "French movie," not "Chabrol movie." So those who are less discriminating may like the movie as much as my wife and I did.

European movies are better than American to the extent that they show ordinary people's lives lived at any ordinary pace. They're worse when they indulge in incomprehensible or surrealistic profundities. "Bellamy" teeters on the edge of the latter now and then, but gives us many pleasures of the first kind. It's a murder mystery, sort of, but more of the "what happened?" than the "who did it?" variety. In addition, it's a view into the life of Inspector Bellamy and the people in his life. His relationship with his wife is simple but enviable (perhaps improbably so). Marie Bunel is perfect as the wife.

The film does have some irritating attempts at profundity, but they are not too distracting. It's more distracting wondering how Gerard Depardieu, the Inspector, can have a brother played by an actor 20 years younger that he supposedly grew up with.

In Nimes, Inspector Paul Bellamy (Gérard Depardieu) is spending vacation with his wife Françoise Bellamy (Marie Bunel), who wants to travel. When a stranger unexpectedly arrives at his house, he gives his cellphone number to Françoise. The workaholic Bellamy contacts the man and learns that he is the insurance agent Emile Leullet (Jacques Gamblin), who attempt to fraud the insurance company faking his death in a car accident. He intended to use the insurance money to leave his wife and flee with his mistress Nadia Sancho (Vahina Giocante) with a new face got through plastic surgery and the alias Noël Gentil. He says that the charred body found in the car is from the homeless Denis Leprince that wanted to die and hijacked his car in a nearby restaurant. Meanwhile, Bellamy's half-brother Jacques Lebas (Clovis Cornillac), who is an alcoholic loser and crook, comes to their house and stays there, Bellamy spends his time discussing with Jacques, socializing with Françoise her gay dentist and his friend, and interviewing Leulett, his wife Mrs, Leulett, his mistress and Leprince's former girlfriend.

"Bellamy" (2009) is a dull movie by Claude Chabrol about the vacation of the efficient Inspector Bellamy. When a stranger asks for help from him, he cannot resist and spends his time investigating the case. His alcoholic half-brother arrives at home, his vacations are fulfilled by problems and traumas from their childhood. The plot is only reasonable, despite the good acting, but the swam song of the great Claude Chabrol deserved a better movie. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Bellamy"