Poulet au vinaigre (1985)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Dominique Roulet (novel) &
Claude Chabrol (writer)

Release Date:

10 April 1985 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Romance | Comedy | Mystery

Plot Keywords:

Inspecteur Lavardin | Mother Son Relationship | Murder Investigation | Murder Plot | Conspiracy

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Jean Poiret	...	Inspecteur Jean Lavardin
Stéphane Audran	...	Madame Cuno
Michel Bouquet	...	Hubert Lavoisier
Jean Topart	...	Docteur Philippe Morasseau
Lucas Belvaux	...	Louis Cuno
Pauline Lafont	...	Henriette
Andrée Tainsy	...	Marthe
Jean-Claude Bouillaud	...	Gérard Filiol
Jacques Frantz	...	Alexandre Duteil
Albert Dray	...	André, le barman
Henri Attal	...	L'employé de la morgue
Marcel Guy	...	Le maître d'hôtel
Dominique Zardi	...	Henri Rieutord, chef de poste
Jean-Marie Arnoux	...	Le client du café
Caroline Cellier	...	Anna Foscarie

Also Known As:

Chicken with Vinegar (International: English title) (literal title)
Cop au vin

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Certification:

Sweden:15 | UK:15 | West Germany:12 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Forges-les-Eaux, Seine-Maritime, France

Company:

MK2 Productions

Movie Connections:

Followed by "Les dossiers secrets de l'inspecteur Lavardin" (1988)

The coldest, most insipid poulet au vinaigre ever served?

This is a pretty conventional crime thriller of the 1980s, with some criminally dull characterisation and limp acting performances. None of the principal characters, except the formidable Lavardin, appears to have any substance, and the end result is by and large lacklustre and plodding.

Thankfully, the film does have its saving graces. Firstly, the character of Lavardin is well played by Jean Poiret. The police inspector's methods and persona are so unconventional that he comes across as more frightening and sinister than any of the murder suspects. Then there is Mathieu Chabrol's eerie background music which imbues a sense of menace into even the (few) lighter scenes. But the strongest selling point is the camera work, heavily embossed with Chabrol's style. This film has some very chilling moments which are achieved through a clever combination of lighting and camera angles. The style is that of a very sophisticated suspense thriller, even if the content isn't.

Although the films does succeed to some extent at a technical level, the shallowness of the characterisation and the overly complex plot drag the film down to the ranks - almost - of a somewhat mediocre television movie.