Philippe Noiret

Isabelle Huppert

Jean-Pierre Marielle

Stéphane Audran

Eddy Mitchell

Guy Marchand

Michel Beaune

Jean Champion

Victor Garrivier

Gérard Hernandez

Daniel Langlet

Irène Skobline

Abdoulaye Diop

François Perrot

Samba Mané

Raymond Hermantier

Mamadou Dioumé

Irénée Martin

Max Ernst

Paul Grimault

Bertrand Tavernier

Jean Aurenche

Jim Thompson

Henri Lassa

Adolphe Viezzi

Philippe Sarde

Pierre-William Glenn

Armand Psenny

Alexandre Trauner

Hubert de Varine

Franckie Diago

Jacqueline Moreau

Paul Le Marinel

Ludovic Paris

Jean Achache

Frédéric Bourboulon

Daniel Deleforges

Makhete Diallo

Roland Fruytier

René Albouze

Pierre Fontaine

Catherine d'Hoir

Michel Desrois

Maurice Gilbert

Luce Grunenwaldt

Claude Villand

Alain Choquart

Michael Coulter

Sophie Cornu

Yvette Bonnay

Karl Lagerfeld

Comedy

Crime

Drama

Coup de torchon

Les Films de la Tour

Little Bear

Films A2

France

CinemaSerf

I did really quite enjoy Philippe Noiret's performance here, but I couldn't help but wonder if Sir Peter Ustinov wouldn't have had fun with this part too. It's all set in French West Africa just before the start of WWII. His town is a small, largely agrarian and provincial one where "Cordier" is the local cop. To be fair, he's a bit of an hopeless case and everyone from his wife "Hugette" (Stéphane Audran) downwards takes him for a fool. Suddenly though, something snaps. His attitude changes to one of an avenging angel who discovers that he does actually quite enjoy killing people - and he knows full well that nobody cares about the law. His new found, emboldened, character also embarks on a bit of a fling with "Rose" (Isabelle Huppert) and guess what, she's quite keen on getting in on his new community strategy too! It's comedic, yes - but very darkly so as it deals with issues of colonial superiority. Not just with the locals but amongst an hierarchy of their own community that is riddled with double-standards, hypocrisy and odious contradictions. As the story develops, we see an entertaining vision of the obnoxious pursuing the ghastly and just about everyone gets their just desserts. The writing (even via subtitles) is really quite imaginatively pithy; Noiret and Audran have one of those hate/hate relationships that it's a joy to watch, albeit it from a safe distance. It does lose it's way a little towards the end. Bernard Tavernier seems to have run out of steam and has no obvious way of concluding things in as pacy a fashion as the first ninety minutes or so of the story. Still, it uses a degree of satire to cast some delightful aspersions on the colonial classes and I quite enjoyed it.

English

Français

Coup de Torchon

COUP DE TORCHON - 4K Restoration Trailer