L’Agression (1975) - film review

Paul Varlin is driving to his holiday destination with his wife Hélène and their young daughter Patty.  On the way, Varlin gets into a fierce argument with a group of motorcyclists.  The latter take their revenge by violently attacking Varlin’s car.  When he regains consciousness, Varlin discovers that both his wife and his daughter have been raped and murdered.  He turns to his stepsister Sarah for moral support and help in tracking down and convicting the perpetrators of this atrocity.  Varlin soon realises that the only way to get the justice he seeks is to prosecute it himself…

Jean-Louis Trintignant gives one his most intense performances in this carefully constructed psychological thriller.   In one of his better films, Gérard Pirès (director of the 1990s hit Taxi) manages to convey Varlin’s mood of paranoia and desire for revenge with sober minimalist photography, effective lighting and well-choreographed stunts.  The final plot twist is the only thing that lets the film down, not because it is badly realised, but because it just feels like a cliché that has been unnecessarily soldered on to make the film cleverer than it needs to be.  Apart from that, L’Agression is a compelling work and a thoughtful portrayal of that very human failing, the need for revenge.

© James Travers 2004

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