The main originality of this so so thriller lies in the fact that its hero is a garbage man.Shot in black and white,to create a bleak and austere landscape.The cinematography is much too clean for the purpose though;a dirty grainy color treatment à la "seven" would have been more appropriate.
As for the screenplay,it's the umpteenth hackneyed story of a serial killer.And the main interest is this burning question:is the hero,Damien,( a tribute to "the omen"??)the monster?Actually we do not care that much,because the movie is never really exciting,failing twice,both on suspense and on social comment:all these garbage men seem to despise their job,and display a lack of self-esteem which borders on masochism-of course a woman will help the hero cope!-.the director could have paid more respect for their thankless but how much important for the human community task.In order to give the movie the HItchcock touch,Damien's over possessive mother-played by an actress famous for her bleach commercials!-appears for just one pointless scene.
Gautier is another example of these French directors that have gotten hung up in trying to catch the American thrillers (or the American indies).They 've forgotten that the Frenchie's metier has always been the psychological thriller ,à la française:I think all these two-bit directors should watch the best Chabrol,Clouzotand Duvivier works,not to ape them,but to build their work in the French great tradition.
