Inspecteur Lavardin (1986) - film review

Inspecteur Lavardin is called in to investigate the murder of a leading moral figure in a village in provincial France.  Lavardin’s skills are put to the test as he encounters a web of deceit and intrigue, not to mention some very peculiar individuals.  To cap it all, the murder victim’s widow was once one of Lavardin’s former loves, something which has a profound bearing on the outcome of the investigation.

This is actually rather a good, but not particularly noteworthy, detective movie.  Chabrol re-uses a character of an earlier film, Inspecteur Lavardin from Poulet au Vinaigre, which was probably the most successful ingredient of that film.  This later film is more entertaining and accessible than Poulet, primarily because it benefits from having a much better script, with more than a smattering of humour.  In addition, the main characters are better drawn and acted than in Poulet.  Of particular note are Jean-Claude Brialy playing Lavardin’s outrageously camp and eccentric host, and Jean Poiret, now comfortably installed in the role of the unconventional, if not to say dangerous, detective Lavardin.

The plot is quite sophisticated, with some clever twists and turns.  The unmasking of the murderer and the transfer of guilt are quite cleverly engineered, although the conclusion does raise some questions about Lavardin’s (and Chabrol’s?) own personal morality.  That, coupled with Lavardin’s somewhat brutal technique for extracting truth from the witnesses and suspects, can only serve to undermine his position as the good guy in any subsequent film.

© James Travers 1999

For more on Claude Chabrol see:
The life of Claude Chabrol
Le Beau Serge
Les Cousins
Le Boucher
Que la bête meure
La Cérémonie




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