Dernier domicile connu

Lino Ventura is simply perfect as this noir hero, too professional to rebel against the absurdity of his job. But why would they have him wear a small hat? The big broad-shouldered, former pro wrestler, Lino Ventura in brown-over-black 1970 style (remember Shaft?), OK, but who wears a hat in 1970? It makes him look like Inspector Clouseau. In the book Francis X. Kerrigan wears a dust jacket, OK this is the overused private coat, but keep it simple, in tune and in genre.

Fortunately the story is good, it's a sharp and clean police procedural and it shows that José Giovanni loved it. He loved that it displayed a stubborn officer walking his beat in the midst of general hostility against police. It was really fashionable to criticise the police around 1969 and Giovanni is happy to drive the point home more than once, most prominently in Paul Crauchet's monologue, but generally in the absurdity of Lino Ventura's assignments. Subtlety is definitely not Giovanni's forte but here it blends well with the simple police procedural.

All in all this could have been a tremendous modern noir with a better director (Melville, Sautet). The result doesn't show important directorial choices. Camera work and editing are average, and sound editing is poor while François de Roubaix's score would have been sufficient to carry most of the images. In the end you will feel as if the movie simply vanishes from your memory while you were really rooting for Ventura and Joubert minutes before.

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 .

Ventura is the seasoned cop who gets punished by his boss and transferred to a secondary precinct and Jobert the idealistic trainee, who must support him during a relentless chase.

A key witness to a mafia crime disappeared five years previously and the guilty mafia boss may get acquitted without the witness evidence.

With five days to go before the end of the trial the unlikely couple run around Paris, trying to find the witness and betting everything on retracing his daughter, a pale, sick but remarkable girl who left an impression on whomever met her.

Unfolding before the digital era, the investigation takes place in the field, which means hundreds of schools, chemists and doctors visited. All this, while the mafioso's gang is following closely, eager to eliminate the witness before the police finds him.

The story is filmed in the suitably melancholic autumn season in rainy Paris and enhanced by suitable score. The twist at the end came unexpectedly to me, but it makes a lot of sense. Very good, no frills, believable story.

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.