Netchaïev est de retour (1991) - film review

Netchaïev, a notorious political activist-cum-terrorist, was believed to have died in Gibraltar in 1985 under mysterious circumstances.  Five years later, he reappears in Paris, apparently to embark on a fresh campaign of murder and mayhem.  The news of his return comes as a shock to his former friends, who have now become respectable figures in society, and his father, Pierre Marroux, who occupies a senior position in the French security services.   However, far from wanting to resume his murderous exploits, Netchaïev wants to make a fresh start.  He offers to give details of an impending terrorist attack in exchange for a full pardon.  Unfortunately, Netchaïev’s unexpected return poses a threat to the French government which has some murky secrets to protect…

This convoluted political thriller sees Yves Montand (in his last film appearance but one) again playing the part of a tough law enforcer up against a dangerous opponent within a corrupt political establishment.  It’s effectively a return to the hard-boiled French neo-polar of the late 1970s, although the formula clearly has less relevance to cinemagoers of the early 1990s.  There’s an excellent performance from Vincent Lindon, whose portrayal of a disillusioned terrorist is appropriately ambiguous and strangely sympathetic, and Montand is still impressive in his twilight years.  However, the supporting cast are under-utilised and struggle to make any impact on the narrative.

As ever, Jacques Deray is masterful at directing the action sequences, which are well-paced, suspenseful and shocking without being gratuitously over-the-top.  Unfortunately, the film’s straightforward drama passages feel laboured and drawn-out, hampered by limp dialogue and weak characterisation.  So, whilst the film has some appeal (the Montand-Lindon billing being its main selling point), it does not compare all that favourably with Deray’s better known films – classics such as Borsalino (1970) and Flic Story (1975).

© James Travers 2005

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