Le dos au mur

Not many characters are to be liked in this atmospheric, tightly-written crime drama, of which the first fifteen minutes are taken up by the disposal of a body. Not factory-owner Jacques (Gérard Oury) and his broody face, which dominates the film, not his wife's feckless loser-lover, the sports-car driving Yves. Not bar-owner and false friend Ghislane, not private dick Jerôme. And perhaps not entirely Gloria herself (Jeanne Moreau is excellent), the only person who knows her husband well-enough to work out his jealous machinations. There's an excellent twist as the plot circles back to that opening scene. Maybe this turns out to be a twisted, tainted love story after all.