Boring

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

Inspector Bellamy is on vacation. Why shouldn't he be? He's earned it, being on the force for so many years. He spends his time resting and doing odd things around the house - that is, trying to distract himself from an odd presence in a thin man who stalks his house and steps on his flowers. For shame! Paul Bellamy calls up this man who stopped by to speak to him and leaves a stern message. This man calls up Bellamy at midnight- such an odd hour - to meet with him. This man, a guy with big, nervous and possibly frightened eyes, names himself Emile Leullet, and he thinks he may have killed someone. Thinks being the operative word as he's not quite sure. Bellamy, not having a lot better to do, takes on the case informally, interviewing his girlfriend, and other people like a dance instructor who might know what's going on.As it turns out Leullet is not just one guy, he's two, or three. Claude Chabrol does a playful Hitchcock trick (Hitchcock and Chabrol, no way!) where Leulett is played by the same actor, Jacques Gamblin, and also appears as Noel Gentil, a businessman, and a homeless guy, who may be the one that Leulett killed. Whether he did or didn't is a guessing game Chabrol toys with and curiously keeps his main character equally engaged and annoyed by. Would he rather focus on this case while on holiday when his (to him and maybe to us) sexy wife is at home? But then again, what about his brother, Francoise?The brother part of the story, or who might be a step-brother, is what adds the interesting dimension to Inspector Bellamy. With just the crime-plot in the story it might just be a fun but diverting and inconsequential little thriller that is so much a slow-burner that Andy Warhol might have filmed the candle. But it's the introduction, relatively early on in the story, of this brother that suddenly makes the film matter more than it did before. Or, rather, it becomes a more interesting film the more one thinks about the duality of the situation. Bellamy is caught in the middle of two men who are just there: his brother Francoise, a louse and a drunk and usually a pretty miserable guy who is 'in-between' jobs and is amusing 20% of the time and the other 80 percent Paul can't help but want to smash his face in. And then there's Leulett, or Noel or Denis Leprince or whoever he is. Did he kill this person? Does it matter? Maybe Paul, as he even notes, has a liking for murderers, or just their style.Chabrol is in no rush with his story, which takes some detours here and there with dinner talk and trips to the hardware store and conversations with a female employee who is young enough to be Paul's daughter. This is just fine if you can get into the rhythm he's telling. For some (like a gentleman sitting next to me in the theater and insane to me due to the $13 ticket price) it might be sleep-inducing. But Chabrol does have more on his mind here than the usual police procedural or provincial murder mystery with twists in the story and the 'show-don't-tell' aspects where we see Leulett in "action". Those scenes, and seeing Depardieu in this role, is fun. It's when we get this personal dimension, of this brother who for all rights should be like a bad case of fleas and yet has some kind of sympathy to him, that the film takes on another light.Chabrol is neither over the top nor too subtle. Many scenes are presented in a straightforward dramatic style- probably just one shot in the bedroom for the confrontation- and in the resolution it's kind of peaceful. Again, this duality for Paul, of a man in his life who is very frank and dangerous in his honesty, and the other who is a total fake and possibly proud of it (though he does snap back to reality when he hears of his girlfriend sleeping with another Inspector!), is what counts. I liked seeing how Depardieu made his character smarter than others around him, but humble and with some humility to him. He's not a Sherlock Holmes, he's just a guy trying to put together a book-shelf and have some sex with his wife, what's wrong with that. That the actor playing his brother as well (I forget his name at the moment) is as good, if two-dimensional, in his role brings out the best out of the film's star.This was the director's 50th film, and it feels every bit like a Chabrol film, all the way down to its sad climax (and what a wonderful quote to end a movie, and unintentionally a career: "... there is always another story, there is more than meets the eye."), and his very reasonable and/or crazy cast of characters. It's a story without frills, as one would hope an old man would make, though perhaps a bit too long in some spots (there was a moment I thought the story would naturally end, and it didn't, though it ended up in a special place), and the camera and editing are loose and relaxed. This doesn't mean Inspector Bellamy is meant to be too slow, or not- involve its viewers. It's the quiet work of a master confident completely in what he's doing, be it a flash to a dance scene drowning in darkness and slivers of light, or having fun with little surprises. One such one, as a final note, is when the Leullet character is on trial, and his attorney breaks out into song (he's the only one, no music, just his voice) to explain his defense. I've never seen that in a movie. Glad there's one more curve-ball to throw, and a hilarious one at that.

Bellamy (Depardieu) is a famous Parisian police detective on vacation in Nimes with his wife. He is intrigued by a local scandal involving an insurance scam and death. The perpetrator of the scam contacts Bellamy for his advice.His curiosity is roused and he meets the con.I agree with the reviewer who said this slow moving boring film has a bunch of subplots that never seem to go any where. I would add the film tries to be deep with tons of meaning of life dialogue. This mixture comes off as vapid.I suppose the main subplot concerned Bellamy's (Depardieu) brother Jacques (Clovis Cornillac) who is miscast at 20 years younger than Depardieu. In the end we find out that Bellamy almost choked him to death as a child. So? Look this movie is a dud. Even with the tantalizing evidence of a twist ending of sorts. It is too vapid = a non suspenseful non thriller non anything waste of time.Also Depardieu's naughty sexual behavior towards his wife is a pathetic prop to add virility to this fading obese star. Depardieu is also portrayed as a sort of a walking Socrates plum full of contemplative dialogues--the worst sort of French film flaw---talk talk talk talk.... Do not rent or watch this film.

I only found later that the movie was greatly inspired in Simenon's detective. Indeed the simplicity, unclear methods and distracted although focused attitudes corresponds to Maigret in great detail. The main difference is Depardieu's tender relationship with his wife, completely absent in the novel. Another difference, Bellamy's brother is maybe a weak point.Major criticism refers to the lack of deepness of the characters and the plain performance of Depardieu. It did not affect me at all. The movie is light, intriguing and pictures nicely some aspects of French lifestyle. It was a pleasure to see Nimes and a joyful Maigret on the screen.

Chabrol is definitely at his best in Bellamy. It is subtle, full of humor, and very well played. The performance of Gérard Depardieu, kind of ogre, easy-going but not only, Marie Bunel, with her touch of amused sensuality, Jacques Gamblin, mastering three characters, three faces of the madness, and Clovis Cornillac, as a magnificent alcoholic loser, are simply tremendous. Some knowledge of Georges Brassens songs and Georges Simenon detective novels (Both Georges...) can optionally help to better appreciate the dialogs. But anyway, go and dive into the fascinating depth of the characters. Is Mr Gentil a killer? What is Commissaire Bellamy's terrific secret? Bellamy is the kind of detective movie the Commissaire Maigret's novels should have been adapted for the screen alike.