Jean Gabin had previously played the indefatigable commissaire Maigret in two other films. "Maigret Sets a Trap" and "Maigret and the St. Fiacre Case". Directed by Jean Delannoy, these films were poetic psychological studies, full of atmosphere and complex, interesting characters. In sharp contrast, the third Gabin Maigret film "Maigret Sees Red" is a fairly straightforward crime picture, the kind of movie Jean Gabin was famous for and the kind of movie you'd never expect to see credited to Georges Simenon. This is doubtlessly down to Delannoy's replacement, writer/director Gilles Grangier who made his name directing pulpy actioners with Jean Gabin.
The plot concerns a trio of American hitmen who arrive in Paris and leave a trail of bodies in their wake. Why are they here? Who are they after? Who hired them? These are the questions Maigret and his team of detectives are tasked with finding out while racing against time to stop the gangsters before they kill again. But, unbeknownst to Maigret, the hitmen don't even trust each other and soon little quarrels turn into all-out bloodshed.
This film has the name Maigret in its title and his creator Georges Simenon in the credits but no characteristics associated with his work. For one, there are no intriguing characters or commentary on the human condition here. Just a no-frills police procedural mixed in with gangster film elements lifted straight out of American B-movies. The trio of hitmen is a truly ridiculous group, sporting overdone American accents and the kind of attitude school bullies display on the playground. Especially awful is Michel Constantin, looking like a gorilla in a tuxedo and dubbed over by possibly the worst voice actor in the world. These guys wouldn't look out of place only in a "Naked Gun" movie.
Thankfully, the rest of the film works quite nicely. Especially any scene in which Jean Gabin takes charge. His Maigret is an absolutely superb creation and even though he doesn't get a chance to show off his acting as he did in the Delannoy films, he still brings an irreplaceable, commanding presence to the role. He also has a suitably wry sense of humour and frequently during the film his eyes take on an imminently likeable mischievous glow. He plays wonderfully well against his co-stars especially Guy Decomble as the incompetent Inspector Lognon and Paul Carpenter as a CIA agent.
Gilles Grangier does a capable job and the film moves at a remarkably snappy pace. Rarely stopping for character development helps, I suppose, as the film zooms through its fairly complicated plot. I'm not entirely sure if and how the whole thing hangs together, but the ride never stalled.
I do have to admit that I'm not a fan of gangster flicks. I don't care for criminals and mobsters, so I found "Maigret Sees Red" to be something of a drag and a disappointment after the two brilliant and thoughtful Delannoy films. However, those who do have a taste for these kinds of actioners will surely find this to be a well-executed if average entry in the genre. There's nothing to make it particularly memorable, but it works and for some folks, that's more than enough.
