Le rouge est mis [Speaking of Murder] **** (1957, Jean Gabin, Paul Frankeur, Marcel Bozzuffi, Lino Ventura, Annie Girardot) – Classic Movie Review 12,296

Jean Gabin stars in the 1957 French crime thriller film Le rouge est mis [Speaking of Murder] as Louis le Blond, the owner of a Paris garage that is the front for a gang of robbers. His situation has several flaws, which could prove fatal.

Director Gilles Grangier’s 1957 French crime thriller film Le rouge est mis [Speaking of Murder] is based on a novel by Auguste Le Breton, and stars Jean Gabin, along with Paul Frankeur, Marcel Bozzuffi, Lino Ventura, and Annie Girardot. The French title Le rouge est mis means ‘the red light is on’, ie at night when the gangsters think their criminal activities are safe, or maybe safer anyway.

Jean Gabin stars as Louis Bertain, aka ‘Louis le Blond’, the owner of a Paris garage that is the front for a gang of robbers. Unfortunately, his situation has several flaws, which could prove fatal. First, Louis’ younger brother Pierre (Marcel Bozzuffi), who has nothing to do with the gang or their robberies, is involved with attractive young gold-digger Hélène (Annie Girardot). Second, one of the gang members, Frédo (Paul Frankeur), has lost his bottle. And third, another one of the gang members, Pepito (Lino Ventura), is a gun crazy wild card. It seems that none of them can be trusted. The police pull in Pierre, and hassle him, trying to blackmail him into betraying his brother and the gang, and Pepito becomes convinced that he is a police informer.

The plot, based on a novel by Auguste Le Breton, is very well set up, unusual and interesting. It focuses profitably on the theme of loyalty and betrayal, and on the central brother-brother relationship. Michel Audiard, Gilles Grangier, Auguste Le Breton provide an extremely efficient screenplay, with the kind of witty slang-laden dialogue that keeps it feeling real, or certainly a French gangster movie version of real. There are one or two surprises along the way, and it ends up in an unexpected place, always good signs in a thriller. It is 1957 and there’s even a gay character, Pierre’s cellmate, played as a stereotype, but not unsympathetically. He is loyal, does what he promised, doesn’t want Gabin’s money, but gets it anyway (‘buy yourself a new handbag’).

The movie may be just minor pulp fiction, one of many from the era, but it is still very good of its kind, fast paced and exciting, spurred along by riveting performances from Gabin, Paul Frankeur, Marcel Bozzuffi, Lino Ventura, and Annie Girardot. It is Gabin’s show, and he is excellent again in another welcome spin on his gangster act, though the others have more to do than usual, and show their star character actor quality to advantage. Gilles Grangier handles it very efficiently too, directing with some flair, and with just a few stylish touches that add a little class.

The cast are Jean Gabin as Louis Bertain (‘Louis le Blond’), Paul Frankeur as Frédo, Marcel Bozzuffi as Pierre Bertain, Lino Ventura as Pepito, Annie Girardot as Hélène, Albert Dinan as Inspector Pluvier, Antonin Berval as Zé, Jean-Pierre Mocky as Pierre, Thomy Bourdelle as Inspector, and Serge Lecointe as Bébert.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,296

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