My Friend the Traitor (1988)

Two criminals who enrolled in the German police to get out of prison seize an opportunity after the War to redeem themselves. The elder of the two, Mad Bosco, dies at the beginning of their... See full summary »

Director:

José Giovanni

Writers:

José Giovanni (novel), José Giovanni (adaptation)

Stars:

Valérie Kaprisky, André Dussollier, Thierry Frémont

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Valérie Kaprisky	...	Louise
André Dussollier	...	Adrien Rove
Thierry Frémont	...	Georges
Steve Kalfa	...	Pellin
Yves Kerboul	...	Colonel
Philippe Dormoy	...	Le Bosco / The hunckback
Michel Peyrelon	...	Ibrana
Jean-Pierre Bernard	...	Le capitaine / The captain
Jean-Michel Noirey	...	Minsol
Frédéric Ratel	...	Neuvole
Jean-Pierre Sentier	...	La Glisse
Jean-Jacques Moreau	...	Vilar, l'avocat
Jean-Pierre Hutinet	...	Commisaire
Pierre Leomy	...	Le président / President (as Pierre Léomy)
Bernard Fontaine	...	Goetz

Storyline

Two criminals who enrolled in the German police to get out of prison seize an opportunity after the War to redeem themselves. The elder of the two, Mad Bosco, dies at the beginning of their adventure. Georges, 25, is greatly helped by Louise whose dream is to see him turn over a new leaf. She introduces him to Commander Rove, a counter-espionage officer, who decides to employ Georges' skills in exchange for his rehabilitation. Through their hunt for collaborators the relationship between Rove and Georges changes. Mistrust and disdain gradually succumb to a burgeoning friendship.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

26 October 1988 (France)

Also Known As:

Barátom, az áruló

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sara Films, TF1 Films Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

User Reviews

A difficult subject.

"Mon ami le traitre" is perhaps ,along with "le rapace" (1968) ,Jose Giovanni's best work.Had Lucien Lacombe (Louis Malle's hero in the 1973 eponymous movie)survived,that's what he might have become when the Liberation came in 1944.Like Lucien,Georges entered the Collaboration BY CHANCE.He was a lout,having been sentenced to jail before the war.He had mitigating circumstances:his brother was a hunchback,mistreated by his schoolmates.

Whereas "le Bosco" (his brother) commits suicide when the allies come to France,Georges tries to redeem himself :he meets a counter-espionage officer and offers his service to break up the last French nazi circles.In a nutshell,he becomes a stool pigeon.You often feel ill-at-ease when you watch that.French sometimes turn into torturers like their former occupying forces.Hatred oozes through the whole movie,as women who slept with Germans are cropped and the crowds applause when a militiaman is shot.Sometimes the audience is bewildered and is no more able to tell good from evil:the officer's (André Dussolier) attitude,and even more,his superior's are beyond any moral."Troubled times " the colonel tersely says.

In the last pictures,Giovanni makes us share his disgust with death penalty (which he had already shown in "deux hommes dans la ville" (1972) and which he would come back to in his final work "mon père" (2001).He and Andre Cayatte were directors who certainly contributed to the abolishment of the capital punishment in France in 1981.