After a short stay in Chinon, Jean Lavardin goes to Montecatini, a spa town in Italy that hosts a TV quizz called Hieroglyphes but holidays aren't for him once again. As he tells to an old acquaintance, the waiter Dédé whom he met in another life (see the movie Poulet au Vinaigre, 1985), Interpol sent him there to put an end to an arm trafficking run by a millionnaire called Ruggero Anello. In another hand and probably to escape from a sultry couple atmosphere, his wife, a lady writer came to have a rest in the same thermal station as Lavardin. Sadly, she is murdered and the politically incorrect sleuth finds himself with two cases to solve. In these kinds of affair, he deals with odd characters who know everything and have something to hide....
The previous user, Guy Bellinger, a famous French critic complained that this Chabrol TV movie wasn't up to scratch with the filmmaker's greatest achievements such as la Femme Infidèle (1969) or le Boucher (1970). You've got to bear in mind that this kind of film requires less time and money to be produced and shot. It probably explains the supposed shortcomings on the screen. But in truth, they're hardly perceptible because even if it doesn't match his magnum opuses, this Chabrol's work shelters enough various qualities to spend a rewarding moment.
First, the cast. Of course, Jean Poiret shines as usual in a tailor-made role that he knows by heart and if his bad manners may offend the viewer, he always acts in the name of justice. And he is seconded by a bevy of actors who play the game in agreement with the rules of the detective genre. In spite of her apparently angelic face, Amy Werba distills an ambiguous charm which both gives her a femme fatale side and a lightly mocking feel to all the protagonists who deal with her. Then, Riccardo Cucciolla is equally convincing as the quietly disquieting TV candidate, Orczyk and let's not forget Albert Dray whom as I wrote previously, makes his return in Lavardin's world by helding a quite similar role to the one he had in Poulet au Vinaigre. Even Thomas Chabrol, the filmmaker's son makes his part count in his small role as the TV quizzmaster.
As for the story, you don't change a winning formula. Like l'Escargot Noir whose forte was partly rich dialogs, the authors peppered the story with many witty cues to the title itself, a well-chosen pun. Maux Croisés in French means both to find crosswords and ills that cross themselves! Furthermore, the Chabrol touch hasn't been forgotten. He'll adopt a mocker tone towards Dédé who nearly embodies Lavardin's scapegoat and also towards the tv program, Hieroglyphs, a delighting satire of TV quizzes. They're minor details but in this context, you can't help but smile when Thomas Chabrol skins Orczyk's name or Caroline Beaune appears with a flirtatious smile on her face. Without forgetting the winning prize: a highly luxury cruise. In another hand, Chabrol often wraps his works with a touch of madness or incongruity like the pinballs or children toys in Anello's mansion.
All in all, this exotic investigation remains faithfull to the spirit of the series and provides its fair share of surprises and twists to remain throughly estimable and fun.
The previous user, Guy Bellinger, a famous French critic complained that this Chabrol TV movie wasn't up to scratch with the filmmaker's greatest achievements such as la Femme Infidèle (1969) or le Boucher (1970). You've got to bear in mind that this kind of film requires less time and money to be produced and shot. It probably explains the supposed shortcomings on the screen. But in truth, they're hardly perceptible because even if it doesn't match his magnum opuses, this Chabrol's work shelters enough various qualities to spend a rewarding moment.
First, the cast. Of course, Jean Poiret shines as usual in a tailor-made role that he knows by heart and if his bad manners may offend the viewer, he always acts in the name of justice. And he is seconded by a bevy of actors who play the game in agreement with the rules of the detective genre. In spite of her apparently angelic face, Amy Werba distills an ambiguous charm which both gives her a femme fatale side and a lightly mocking feel to all the protagonists who deal with her. Then, Riccardo Cucciolla is equally convincing as the quietly disquieting TV candidate, Orczyk and let's not forget Albert Dray whom as I wrote previously, makes his return in Lavardin's world by helding a quite similar role to the one he had in Poulet au Vinaigre. Even Thomas Chabrol, the filmmaker's son makes his part count in his small role as the TV quizzmaster.
As for the story, you don't change a winning formula. Like l'Escargot Noir whose forte was partly rich dialogs, the authors peppered the story with many witty cues to the title itself, a well-chosen pun. Maux Croisés in French means both to find crosswords and ills that cross themselves! Furthermore, the Chabrol touch hasn't been forgotten. He'll adopt a mocker tone towards Dédé who nearly embodies Lavardin's scapegoat and also towards the tv program, Hieroglyphs, a delighting satire of TV quizzes. They're minor details but in this context, you can't help but smile when Thomas Chabrol skins Orczyk's name or Caroline Beaune appears with a flirtatious smile on her face. Without forgetting the winning prize: a highly luxury cruise. In another hand, Chabrol often wraps his works with a touch of madness or incongruity like the pinballs or children toys in Anello's mansion.
All in all, this exotic investigation remains faithfull to the spirit of the series and provides its fair share of surprises and twists to remain throughly estimable and fun.
