Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Pretty Good

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Good, taut police procedural based on a novel by Joseph Harrington. (I never read anything by this author, which sounds like a lack to remedy.) The translation to French society is done very well, keeping and preserving themes such as the superficiality, transience and anonimity of life in a major city. The human cost of such an urban existence can come very high, as illustrated in a scene where two detectives go to a school in order to ask questions about a pupil. Teachers and staff are kind and dedicated, but point out that many of the children disappear somewhere along the line, as a result of their parents moving, losing their jobs, divorcing,... The result is a state of permanent changeability, where no one succeeds in getting a good grasp on the background, problems and capabilities of the various pupils.Jobert and Ventura, as the detectives, are in fine shape and give good performances. Unfortunately the first ten minutes of the movie are confusing, mainly because someone somewhere thought it would be a good idea to start the story while showing the initial credits. This was not a good idea. After this confusing beginning, the movie proceeds in a clear and linear fashion, enlivened by occasional thumbnail sketches of urban eccentrics. (Watch out for the seemingly normal and civilized lady who treats her pets like infants, but hates every child and adolescent she sees - they're all grinning apes or hot little sluts.)At one point in the movie - I'm trying to avoid spoilers here - one of the characters gets involved in a savage street fight. The fight is well-choreographed and well-executed, exuding a realistic violence and viciousness. Strangely, the character thus attacked (and beaten up) is capable of continuing his activities, where logic would dictate an urgent hospitalisation, followed by many months of careful rehabilitation. But then, this is a failure common to many movies : people walk away from accidents and attacks that, by rights, should send them to an emergency ward or an undertaker...

After recently re-watching auteur director Julien Duvivier excellent Film Noir Chair De Poule,I decided to look around for other French Film Noir titles scattered around my bedroom.Being close to giving up on finding a movie that I would match my liking,I was delighted to stumble upon a wonderful sounding mystery French Film Noir,which led to me getting ready to track down the last known address.The plot:Receiving one complaint too many on his brand of justice,the police captain demotes rebellious police inspector Marceau Leonetti to a desk job.As Leonetti sits at a desk,a major trail begins on a criminal who the police have been desperate to catch.With less than 2 weeks to go before the trail,the police are told by the judge that they must find another witness,or the case will fall apart.Finding every cop to be hitting nothing but dead ends,the police chief decides to give Leonetti a second chance,by giving him 5 days to track down a lead witness in the case called Roger Martin.Desperate to keep Leonetti's temper under control,Leonetti is assigned a rookie cop called Jeanne Dumas,who is to follow Leonetti along on every step of the case.As Leonetti & Dumas get closer to tracking down Martin,they both begin to discover how little regard the police hold important witnesses in.View on the film:Filmed on the outskirts miles away from any tourist spots,writer/directing auteur José Giovanni (aka: Joseph Damiani-who almost went to the gallows,and supported the Nazis in their occupation of France!)and cinematographer Étienne Becker give Paris a raw, drenched-out appearance ,which along with tapping into the Film Noir atmosphere,also gives the title strong Neo-Realist notes,thanks to Giovanni peeling the grime off the streets of Paris across the screen.Backed by an ultra-smooth score from François de Roubaix,Giovanni allows moments of dazzling style to rise from the murky streets,with expertly handled whip-pans being use to show Leonetti & Dumas circling in on Martin.Adapting Joseph Harrington's novel,Giovanni displays a precise skill in transferring the story from dirty cop shenanigans to deeply cynical Film Noir,with Giovanni keeping the investigation moving at a surprisingly quick-draw pace,as Leonetti gradually begins to suspect that using his fists should not be the first option he takes in solving a crime.Whilst he delivers a message on the failure to protect witnesses in an explicit manner,Giovanni unexpectedly allows a subtle warmth to develop between Leonetti and Dumas,that is kept away from any ill-fitting romantic notes,by Giovanni instead showing both of them gain respect for the others investigation skills.Whilst she is now perhaps best known for being Eva Green's mum, Marlène Jobert gives an excellent performance as Jeanne Dumas that combines Dumas tomboy-like nature with a genuine,sweet sincerity to "do the right thing."Kicking the movie off by punching any thug that gets in his way, Lino Ventura gives a marvellous,tough Noir performance as Leonetti,with Ventura covering Leonetti's face with world-weary scars,as Leonetti & Dumas visit the address.

"Dernier domicile connu" was shown the other day on a French cable channel. This was the third film of Jose Giovanni, a man who wrote extensively for the French cinema and went on to direct his own material. Mr. Giovanni's forte was the "policier" in which he excelled with the themes he decided to tackle, as he proves here.This film shows a felicitous casting with Lino Ventura and Marlene Jobert in the principal roles. Both actors show an easy chemistry between them as two police following the trail of a man wanted to testify in a judicial process. To make things different the two cops decide to concentrate in the daughter of the man being sought. The pivotal witness is not their key interest, knowing that of they find the little girl, she will lead them to the father, while at the same time, opposing criminals try to outsmart the policemen.Mr. Giovanni, who based his screenplay on a Joseph Harrington novel of the same title, takes the viewer all over the Paris of those years, taking the viewer all over the city, setting the story in out of the way places many visitors never get to see. The best thing in the film is a young, and fresh, Marlene Jobert, perfect as the rookie detective. Lino Ventura is effective as the tough as nails cop working against the clock to get to the witness.

This might be my Jose Giovanni favorite.His third movie,it is perhaps his most endearing one.A really unusual thriller,which uses urban landscapes with great skill.We often seem to be lost in an ocean of windows ,which makes sense,because the plot is actually a search.Two cops,a man and a woman, (Ventura and Jobert)are looking for a witness for the prosecution .That man seems to have disappeared.So their investigation looks like a treasure hunt.They meet a lot of people,some of whom have known the mysterious guy.They learn that he is a widower living with his daughter.The girl herself is an enigma,being described as a fairy tale princess by some (Paul Crauchet) or a vicious Lolita (the woman with the cat).The woman cop even dreams of them,and that sequence is really excellent,as they seem more and more to be a mirage.There is something of John Huston in the conclusion of "dernier domicile connu" (last known address).It deals with cowardice ,sadness and despair,one of the harshest endings Giovanni ever filmed.Even if they succeeded in their mission,the two cops realize that they have been manipulated and that they have completely destroyed two human beings' happiness.Marlène Jobert has perhaps never been better than here.Once a enthusiastic rookie ,her despair is intense when the movie ends.Ventura portrays a fallen cop from the beginning: He was relegated to a local police station after having arrested a drunken rich kid.Disillusioned ,but still believing in what he's doing,he will become a broken man as the last lines read:life is lost when you did not live your life as you would have liked to.Good directing,fine acting,and as usual ,wonderful score by François de Roubaix.