CHAIR DE POULE is not one of Director Duvivier's finest works, but worth watching all the same.
It starts very strongly, with Hossein and Sorel surprised by the early return of the homeowners during the commission of a robbery. Sorel kills the owner but Hossein is the one who gets shot by police and bundled into jail for 20 years, although his first is spent in a sanatorium due to a bullet in the lung. Guess what? The innocent Hossein, who had never intended to be involved in the robbery in the first place, manages to break free thanks to police negligence.
Just as he did not utter a word about Sorel to police upon detention, so he moves quietly out of circulation without any ill feelings. He comes across Thomas, who owns a diner cum gas station well out of the beaten track - and a sizzling bombshell of a wife (Rouvel) to boot.
That he is immediately interested in her is obvious, but he is too loyal and respectful of Thomas to make the first move. No such worries for Rouvel, though: even as she hugs her hubby she gives him the big come on. And so begins a part of CHAIR DE POULE reminiscent of THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE.
But things begin to go wrong when Thomas' brother comes around to pick things for free while the sibling is away. In fact, Thomas' brother is probably the most perfidious low life of all the low lives on display in this very noir film noir. Hossein makes an enemy out of him and from that point on things begin to go awry for all concerned.
I think the off camera killing of Rouvel lets the movie down. It is sprung on the viewer without any explanation, and the ending is a bit of a mess. Even so, CHAIR is interesting, a typical 1950s film noir shot in 1963. I think it would have gained from a better trinity of leading actors - say, Belmondo, Trintignant and Moreau; or Montand, Ronet and Lafont - and a better script.
Despite its flaws, it is well worth watching - especially the first 90 minutes.
