Les innocents aux mains sales (1975)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Richard Neely (novel)
Claude Chabrol (adaptation)

Release Date:

22 May 1975 (West Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Saint Tropez, 1975. Julie Wormser and her lover, writer and neighbour Jeff Marle, plan the assassination of her wealthy husband Louis...

Plot Keywords:

Writer | Saint Tropez | Love Triangle | Neo Noir | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Romy Schneider	...	Julie Wormser
Rod Steiger	...	Louis Wormser
François Maistre	...	Commissaire Lamy
Paolo Giusti	...	Jeff Marle
François Perrot	...	Georges Thorent
Hans Christian Blech	...	Le juge / Judge (as Hans-Christian Blech)
Pierre Santini	...	Commissaire Villon
Jean Rochefort	...	Maître Albert Légal
Henri Attal	...	Police Officer
Serge Bento	...	Directeur de Banque
Jean Cherlian	...	Le policier du bateau
Jurgens Doeres		(as Jurgen Doeres)
Gilbert Servien
Dominique Zardi	...	Police officer

Also Known As:

Die Unschuldigen mit den schmutzigen Händen (West Germany)
Dirty Hands (USA)
Gli innocenti dalle mani sporche (Italy)
Innocents with Dirty Hands

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

France | Italy | West Germany

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-16 | Portugal:M/18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Saint-Tropez, Var, France

Company:

Jupiter Generale Cinematografica

Trivia:

'Romy Schneider' dubbed herself in the final English language version (besides filming the scenes with Rod Steiger in English).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Les bidasses s'en vont en guerre (1974)

More twists in the tale than usual, and another excellent film from the great Claude Chabrol!

Innocents with Dirty Hands appears to have something of a poor reputation among it's viewers and that made me go into it expecting something a bit sub-par from the great French director, so you can imagine my delight when I found that there's very little wrong with this twisted thriller and while it's not quite up there with the best of Claude Chabrol (films such as This Man Must Die, The Butcher and The Breach); it's a thriller that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat for the duration of the film and provides plenty of shocks and twists along the way! The film is unlike some of Chabrol's other films in that the plot is rather simple and the film focuses on a couple with the surname Wormser. Louis Wormser is 18 years senior to his wife Julie and can no longer have sex after suffering a heart attack. When Julie meets young stud Jeff Marle, the two plot to kill Louis and hatch a plan to dispatch him and deflect suspicion from themselves. However, things go awry immediately after the murder when Julie finds herself alone and under suspicion.

The main influence for this film would seem to be The Postman Always Rings Twice as the two plots share a lot in common. Innocents with Dirty Hands does get criticised for being a bit too long, and this is a bit of a problem. The story has plenty to it and is constantly interesting thanks to the numerous twists in the second half; but it could have benefited from being a bit more streamline as the way it pans out does remove some of the suspense. However, this is hardly enough to condemn the film. The first hour building up the initial twist is absolutely superb and Chabrol keeps the tension bubbling nicely. After the initial twist, the film changes somewhat and the focus is more on surprising the audience, but despite this change in pace; the film still flows well. The film is bolstered by two excellent performances from the leads; the beautiful Romy Schneider is superb as the young wife while Rod Steiger is thoroughly convincing in the opposite role. The film works on a number of levels; it's entertaining, thrilling and also funny in places and while it's filmed with Chabrol's familiar verve and focuses on the marital relationship - it's also a change of pace for him. Overall, this is well worth seeing and I'm sure that anyone who enjoys Chabrol's films will find a lot to like in this one.