Der Unbekannte

This thriller comes from a Georges Simenon non-Maigret roman durs, or "hard novels." It's a penetrating psychological study of Hector Loursat, a man who was a brilliant attorney in his younger days, awakened from his eighteen-year hermit-like existence by a murder committed in his own house. And why had Loursat been living like a hermit all those years? For one very simple reason: without any explanation, Hector's wife suddenly vanished, leaving him for another man, abandoned him and their two-year old daughter Nicole, left them both and the city of Moulins for good. Located on the banks of the Allier River in central France, Moulins has the atmosphere of a typical rainy French city with its cold air and wet streets, drab storefronts and even drabber courthouse.

I had seen this movie years ago, when I was a kid, and I remember that I was very impressed by the way Belmondo, who usually played either very charming and light-hearted characters or tough, "Dirty Harry-like" cops, portrayed this alcoholic lawyer forced to get back on the saddle, but I guess I was too young to fully understand the meanings of the story. Well, I just saw this film again last night, and thought it was just brilliant. Belmondo's performance is truly one of his bests, and the supporting cast is quite impressive, with Odette Laure, Cristiana Reali, Georges Geret, Sandrine Kiberlain and Pierre Vernier. Lautner's direction is very atmospheric, the dialogs are subtle and even if the plot can seem a little week at first sight, it's much deeper than it looks. So my rating is 8 out of 10, Belmondo at his best!

I don't think that's a good film, but only a shadow of the former best Lautner's work, nothing to do with what he did in the sixties or even seventies. But after all he gave us a great movie in 1981 with LE PROFESSIONNEL, which also was far from LE PACHA or LES TONTONS FLINGUEURS...So you can do something different and also stay at your best. Only the overall period fashion changes, and so the director has to adapt his style too. Back to this film, it's really corny, ridiculous, and Belmondo, supposed to play an old timer, alcoholic, a has been, looks like an athlete, a sixty old athlete with grey hair, but an athlete, walking, climbing stairs, like an athlete, showing a lean and sharp body. Raimu was the perfect actor for this kind of character. OK, Belmondo tried something else than crime flicks with plenty of stunts and revolvers, car chases and fist fights. He tried something different in the line of ITINERAIRE D'UN ENFANT GATE, but, for me, he failled. That's only my own opinion.