Inspector Lavardin

Sex; lies and video tape. Yes. It's that kind of gritty noir with a witty and charismatic yet charming yet brash inspector as the lead protagonist.

Inspector Lavardin has to unravel the film's clues and plot to ascertain how a murder happened. The murder itself was filmed but it takes time to unravel the clues. Hidden lenses are discovered and dirty paths unearthed.

There is some great old school cinematography and screenplay and humour. The policing is sometimes unethical but it's from a time so long ago now. Changes to standards and behaviour have happened since then.

It's genuine thriller but very slow. There is some somptous shots and the scriptwriting is good. The problem is there is just far too many genre films like this so it's not that fresh.

Watch and find out what happens. I don't want to give the game away but it's a fun film and it has aged well. 7/10.

In the middle of the eighties, it would be interesting to see what the survivors of the New Wavelet have become. Well, François Truffaut passed away in 1984 and Eric Rohmer persists in signing empty, sloppy films to show his "skills" at film-making. Her majesty Jean-Luc "God Ard" only keeps his small handful of faithful intellectual ones happy with his hermetic products like "Détective" (1985) or "je Vous Salue Marie" (1985). Same judgment for Jacques Rivette who drive many movie-goers indifferent with his version of "les Hauts De Hurlevents" (1985) (Wuthering Heights).

Fortunately, there's still Claude Chabrol to deliver us a worthy, understandable film even if his production as a whole is patchy. In 1985, "Poulet Au Vinaigre" boosted his career again and so the temptation to give it a sequel was inevitable. "Inspecteur Lavardin" is the heir of the 1985 film and features again the same main character plunged in the same bourgeois universe, in a different provincial town this time in Dinand in Brittany. He's still acted by Jean Poiret who seemed irreplaceable in this role.

The writer Raoul Mons was found murdered on the beach and Lavardin has to find the culprit. His investigation is the opportunity for Chabrol to break the respectable appearance of the upper-class milieu but also to include unexpected twists about the plot, notably when Lavardin found who the murderer is. Like in "Poulet Au Vinaigre", humor is the main motor of the film, notably with the way Lavardin employs to make his suspects talk. More than in the 1985 film, the witty personality of this maverick cop is more precise and deepened for the audience.

"Inspectur Lavardin" isn't as intense as "la Femme Infidèle" (1969) or "le Boucher" (1970) but with a palatable story and good acting in the bargain, it would be a shame to skip it. In 1988, a TV series entitled "les dossiers secrets De l'inspector Lavardin" will be launched and four installments will be shot.

NB: video and TV play an important role in the film. It must have given an idea to Chabrol about the direction his next film would take: "Masques" (1987).

In Dinan, in the countryside of France, the Catholic writer Raoul Mons (Jacques Dacqmine) is having lunch with his wife Hélène Mons (Bernadette Lafont), his stepdaughter Véronique Manguin (Hermine Clair) and his brother-in-law Claude Alvarez (Jean-Claude Brialy), when residents of the nearby coastal town knock at his door to tell that a theater troupe will present a profane play. Raoul, who is a leader in the community, promises to take care of the case. On the next morning, Raoul is found murdered on the beach with the word "pig" written on his back. Inspector Jean Lavardin (Jean Poiret) arrives in town to help the investigation. When he arrives at Raoul's house, he sees Hélène, who was his passion twenty-years ago, and learns that her previous husband had also been murdered. He interviews the family and Hélène lodges him at home. He also interviews the cast of the play and discovers family secrets, including that Raoul and Hélène were estranged and did not have sex. He also discovers that Raoul was an habitué of the night-club owned by Max Charnet (Jean-Luc Bideau), who uses his political influence to sell drugs and allow minors in his club. Soon Inspector Lavardin learns dirty secrets and who killed Raoul Mons.

"Inspecteur Lavardin", a.k.a. "Inspector Lavardin" (1986), is a witty crime film by Claude Chabrol. The smart Inspector Lavardin comes to a coastal town to investigate a murder and finds many secrets including the killer of the prominent writer. But he also learns the character of the victim, the killer and the people involved in the case. His solution is not "politically correct" but resolves many problems at the same time. The society in Dinan will be certainly better off with the way Lavardin resolved the case. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Inspetor Lavardin" ("Inspector Lavardin")

The complicated story unveils itself with the line of clues the inspector follows. It reveals more and more and we get surprised all along. A bit static compared to today's movies, but the story is worth it.

So funny... Poiret is such a blast. Police story with a lot of social critic. The cast is one of the greatest you can have in France at that time. This is so cynical.