Counter Investigation (2007)
"Contre-enquête" (original title)

A cop investigates whether the man convicted of murdering his daughter is really guilty.

Director:

Franck Mancuso

Writers:

Franck Mancuso, Lawrence Block (short story)

Stars:

Jean Dujardin, Laurent Lucas, Agnès Blanchot

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Dujardin	...	Richard Malinowski
Laurent Lucas	...	Daniel Eckmann
Agnès Blanchot	...	Claire Malinowski
Aurélien Recoing	...	Josse
Jacques Frantz	...	Michel Arnalde
Jean-François Garreaud	...	Salinas
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Docteur Delmas
Alexandra Goncalvez	...	Emilie Malinowski
Claudine Vincent	...	Catherine Courrieux
Caroline Santini	...	Christiane Carlier
Marie Guillard	...	Mathilde Josse
Gabriel Mancuso	...	Gabriel Josse
Thierry Bosc	...	Albin Schneider
Jean-Pierre Germain	...	Jean-François Perrin
Benjamin Guyot	...	Lebars

Storyline

Richard is a typical cop who spends too much time on the job and isn't always there for his family. One day as he's preparing to spend some quality time with his young daughter he gets an urgent call and responds to it - when he returns home his daughter is missing, but her body is quickly discovered. Racked with guilt he is also filled with hatred for the man arrested for the crime, but after being sent to prison the convict eventually manages to lure Richard into a secret correspondence. Doubts begin to surface - was he really the guilty man, or could this have been work of another serial child abductor who may have been in the area? Richard launches his own investigation, and finally uncovers a new witness. Gritty detective thriller.

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Plot Keywords:

convict | abductor | investigation | pedophile | child murder | 

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Genres:

Crime

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Details

Official Sites:

Matiere Focale.com (French)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

7 March 2007 (France)

Also Known As:

Counter Investigation

Box Office

Budget:

€7,600,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathé Renn Productions, Ephème Productions, M6 Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Great thriller, cautionary tale and cop movie!

Jean Dujardin plays "Richard Malinowski", a model cop and family man in this film loaded with famous actors like J. P. Cassel, Aurélien Recoing and J. F. Garreaud. Beautiful Caroline Santini plays the unknowing victim of a psychopath so well you can't forget her case easily. Visually beautiful, great music, a rather classic/ conventional plot in the beginning, but the movie doesn't deliver if you know how to wait.

Claire M., the long-suffering wife of our main character, could've been better developed, following instead the well trodden lines of the "wife that doesn't understand the hero, leaves him at the worst moment, is cold and always complaining". I'd expect a better leading female character, at least in a film made in 2007.

What I most liked is the cop culture of fellowship, even when they know what their "brothers in arms" are up to. They protect each other. For good or for bad :).

Enjoy!

PS: To the fellow IMDb reviewer "kosmasp": Yes, Dujardin is very well known in France, he's always at Cannes, having just won the best actor prize there with the beautiful film "L'Artiste" with Bérénice Bejo, for instance.