Identité judiciaire

In the wake of Henry Decoin's "Razzia Sur La Chnouff"(1954),French thrillers began to show a tendency to getting more realistic.As an user has pointed out,the cops are no more supermen,or heroes à la Bogart,but "professional office-based men".Although forgotten in France ,"Identité Judiciaire" seems to have enjoyed a certain success overseas for the names are americanized on its IMDb page,with some mistakes:Dora and the lawyer bear the same name in the American version (Barton) and they are not related .

A serial killer drugs and rapes his victims.We know his identity two thirds throughout the movie ,in a very suspenseful scene ,which displays a strong Hitchcockesque influence.Although the movie does not try to sound American ,Dora Doll strangely resembles Gloria Grahame. Raymond Souplex,who plays the captain,would become the hero of detective series "Les Cinq Dernières Minutes" (Commissaire Bourrel),and ,along Jean Debucourt as the lawyer,he gives the movie substance.