La raison d'État

The subject which Cayatte tackled in the late seventies was not legend;it was fact.Everybody knew that France was the world's third arms seller and that they sometimes sold weapons to countries which were enemies.

In the movie,Tongo and Zana ,two imaginary countries which sound African.Two biologists know more than they do.First the professor Marrot ,then Angela Ravelli (Monica Vitti) try to alert public opinion.

It's more a thriller than a truly political movie,and it's more entertainment than thought.But it was a courageous move from Cayatte ,the first French director who made a film about death penalty in 1952.

Very near Costa-Gavras's films, such as Z. But not as strong. Monica Vitti and Francois Perier they are both two excellent actors. But here they are not convincing at all. Instead, the bad guys, Jean Yanne and Michel Bouquet, they are. I think the story has credibility in real life. Possibly the things were even worse in real life than they are shown in this film. It's not a Thriller. A Drama, yes, it is. A big Drama. What is really happening in the real world, the production and sale of arms. The film tells us that after the US and Russia, France was the 3rd largest producer of weapons in the world. And perhaps it was true. In 1978, when the film is made. Since then, the situation has changed. US and Russia have kept their first two positions in the charts. But the order of those other countries is this: 3rd, Germany. Follow France, China, United Kingdom, Italy, Israel, Sweden, Ukraine. All these countries provide death on a planetary scale. They are in the same time big fighters for "the human rights". And they all are corrupt. As the whole planet Earth.

The best André Cayatte movie since "a Trap for Cinderella". It's really close to Costa Gavras and the final traps by Jean Yanne and Michel Bouquet are puzzling, based on their conflict on weapons trades for two opposite African countries. Poor François Périer and Monica Vitti are destroyed by National Security and it's above reality, they cannot escape to the National Security traps. The script is fascinating because everything is said about everybody on the subject of weapons trades, a strong subject still current. But remember, this is only a movie.

The entire casting is great, especially Monica Vitti as the poor victim, Jean Yanne is surprising as an official director.