On my first viewing of "This Man Must Die", I thought this could perhaps have been Claude Chabrol's best movie until the last 20 minutes, which I found kind of disappointing. After a second viewing, I changed my opinion somewhat: yes, the last 20 minutes are anticlimactic from a "thriller"'s point of view (the true climax occurs earlier, on the yacht), but on the other hand they present us with one of the few successful ambiguous endings I can remember: the truth about the second murder is never explicitly stated, and the viewer is left to draw his own conclusions, but the possibilities are not limitless - they are only two. Up until that point, "This Man Must Die" has the slow pacing, beautiful music & cinematography, scientifically masterful camera work, and superb acting in each and every role that we've come to expect from Chabrol; he gave the main female role to Caroline Cellier instead of Stephane Audran this time, and Cellier, being a warmer, more accessible actress than Audran, creates one of the most human characters ever in a Chabrol film. Definitely one of his best films. *** out of 4.
Review of This Man Must Die
