Tchao pantin (1983)

Tchao pantin is a French film first released in 1983, directed by Claude Berri.  The film stars Coluche, Richard Anconina, Agnès Soral, Philippe Léotard and Ahmed Ben Ismaël.  It has also been released under the title: So Long, Stooge.  Our overall rating for this film is: very good.


Lambert, a withdrawn middle-aged man, works the night shift at a Parisian petrol station.   He has no friends, no family; his only companion is his bottle of rum.   One night, a young Arab man, Bensoussan, enters his shop – and his life.   This stranger also has no family, lives alone in a dingy room, and scrapes a living as a drugs dealer.  A friendship develops between the two solitary men – but this is brutally cut short when Bensoussan is killed in front of Lambert’s eyes.  Realising that his new friend was murdered by his drug dealing associates, Lambert sets out to avenge his death – assisted by Lola, a punk girl who met Bensoussan briefly.  In so doing, he manages to face up to his own tragic past...

One of the best examples of French film noir of the 1980s, Tchao pantin owes its popular appeal and classic status to the remarkable (if not totally surprising) performance from its lead actor, Michel Colucci, alias Coluche.  Prior to this film, the hugely popular comic performer had appeared in a dozen or so films, invariably in comic roles, most notably in Bertrand Blier’s La Femme de mon pote (1983).  Although his films were popular, Coluche was never considered a serious actor, and it was virtually impossible to picture him in a straight drama.   All that was to change with Tchao pantin, a sombre, intensely melancholic film noir with a distinctly gritty edge.   In this film, Coluche not only demonstrated that we was capable of taking on a serious acting role, but that he also had an extraordinary hidden talent as a straight actor, something which few had expected.  Coluche was rewarded with the César for the Best Actor in 1984 for this, his finest role.  His untimely death in 1986, was to prove not only a great loss to comedy but also an immense loss to French cinema.

Whilst Coluche’s unexpectedly sober performance is by far the most notable aspect of Tchao pantin, the film is also impressive in a number of other areas.   Claude Berri’s direction is skilfully restrained as he allows his actors to deliver some intensely introspective performances, something which gives the film its tough, almost nihilist brutality and sense of unjust cruelty.  Bruno Nuytten’s atmospheric cinematography contributes a great deal to the mood and character of the piece, the neon-lit night scenes providing an appropriately noirish feel for the bulk of the film.  The script, based on an exemplary Série Noire novel by Alain Page, is economical but effective, making a number of connections with classic film noir of earlier decades - particularly the idea of a lone anti-hero tying to apply his own notion of justice against an abstract but deadly enemy.  What is particularly appealing is that the motivation for Lambert’s actions is explained clearly and convincingly, even if we do have to wait right until the end of the film to find this out.

However, what most sets Tchao pantin apart is the quality of acting.  In addition to the aforementioned Coluche, there are impressive performances from the three supporting actors Richard Anconina (Bensoussan), Agnès Soral (Lola) and Philippe Léotard (Bauer).  Each of these actors is perfectly cast and each provides a convincing portrayal of an individual who ends up a vulnerable outsider, rubbing shoulders with the lowlife and scum of a vicious and seedy Parisian underworld.  Although he only appears in the first half of the film, Richard Anconina distinguishes himself in this, his fist substantial film role.   The Anconia-Coluche pairing works perfectly, lending the film both its humanity and its dramatic impetus.   With the Best Actor César taken by Coluche, Anconina was more than content to have won the Césars for the Best Supporting Actor and Most Promising Young Actor (a very rare achievement for an actor to win two awards for the same role).  The film won a further two Césars: for Best Sound and Best Cinematography.

Tchao pantin is a film that will appeal as much to film noir enthusiasts as to fans of Coluche.  A bleak yet compelling film, it offers a sobering portrait of a society which has lost its way, but where – encouragingly – lone heroes are still capable of making a difference, albeit at a price that few of us are willing to pay.

© James Travers 2004-2011

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