Sans mobile apparent (1971) - film review

Three men are killed in Nice.  The only apparent connection between the three men is the manner of their death – they were each shot from a distance by a rifle equipped with a silencer.  Whilst investigating the murders, Inspector Carella comes across a notebook belonging to one of the dead men.  In it, he finds the telephone number of his former girlfriend, Jocelyne Rocca.  Convinced that she may be able to help him, Carella invites Jocelyne to his apartment.  The meeting is not as fruitful as Carella had hoped and shortly after leaving him Jocelyne is also shot dead.  Carella makes a breakthrough when he learns that all four of the victims appeared in a play together eight years ago.  And the man who wrote and directed that play is in the process of rehearsing a revival...

Possibly the most stylish screen adaptation of an Ed McBain novel, Sans mobile apparent is an affective, albeit slightly flawed, synthesis of the American and French detective thriller, set on the sun-drenched French Riviera.  On the plus side, the film is well-directed and has a great cast, with memorable turns from its star performers Jean-Louis Trintignant and Jean-Pierre Marielle.  It is imaginatively shot and edited, although some of the stylistic flourishes veer dangerously towards the self-indulgent and provide an unwelcome distraction from the plot.  This was the second of seven films directed by journalist-turned writer-director Philippe Labro, who would direct some very popular and distinctive thrillers in the 1970s, notably L’Héritier (1973).

© James Travers 2009

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