Dernier domicile connu (1970)
Directed by José Giovanni

Film Review

A classic of the French policier genre, Dernier domicile connu, is the third film directed by José Giovanni, one that paints a sombre and disturbing portrait of police methods and gangster activity in the early 70s.  Giovanni had scripted several notable French crime dramas, including Jacques Becker's Le Trou (1960) (based on his first novel) and Jacques Deray's Du rififi à Tokyo (1962).  The authenticity and moral ambiguity that we find in Giovanni's films follows from his own experiences as a juvenile criminal and then a convict (he came close to being guillotined for a series of murders perpetrated by the family gang he belonged to).

Despite its slow pace and somewhat predictable plot, Dernier domicile connu  manages to be a compelling and poignant drama, stylishly shot and with superlative contributions from its lead actors, Lino Ventura and Marlène Jobert.  As we often find in José Giovanni's films, there is an important political subtext, and here the writer-director militates strongly for protection of witnesses by the police.

The film is one of the earliest examples of the neo-polar in French cinema, a development of the classic polar of the 1950s and 60s in which the police and authority figures in general would lose the moral high ground, becoming indistinguishable from crooks and mobsters as they pursue their own, morally dubious agenda.

Film Synopsis

As a result of a serious professional blunder, Inspector Leonetti finds himself transferred to a minor police department.  There, he is assigned to a difficult case involving a certain Roger Martin, who has disappeared with his small daughter.  Martin is in fact a key witness in a murder case and is required to give evidence against a well-known gangster.  To help him in his hunt for Martin, Leonetti is teamed up with Jeanne, a young policewoman with next to no experience.  By frequently changing his address Martin hopes not only to evade Leonetti and Jeanne, but also the band of gangsters who are determined to prevent him from testifying...