La 7ème cible (1984)
Directed by Claude Pinoteau

Film Review

Claude Pinoteau directs this well-paced psychological thriller which features an excellent cast headed by the irreplaceable Lino Ventura.  The plot is more complex than usual but the film's familiar neo-noir style and mounting suspense hold the spectator's attention right up until the closing credits.  An impressive solid performance from Ventura (in one of his last film roles) sustains the film's relentlessly oppressive mood, which is relieved only by a few brief moments of humour.  Pinoteau's use of music to create atmosphere is carried to an operatic scale here, with the help of a hugely evocative score from composer Vladimir Cosma.

Film Synopsis

Bastien Grimaldi, a former journalist now in his fifties, leads a tranquil existence until one night he becomes the victim of three unknown assailants.  After this attack, he begins receiving threatening telephone calls but has no idea who his aggressors are.  Surely no one in his immediate entourage has a grudge against him?  There is Nelly, a very desirable woman whom Bastien once had an affair with - she is now married to Jean, a mild-mannered ventriloquist who couldn't hurt a fly.  Then there is Laura, the daughter of a friend of his who was killed in Cambodia - now a professional violinist, she has come to regard him as an adopted father.  And of course Bastien shouldn't forget his partner Catherine and his authoritarian mother.  Could one of these be behind the attack?

Bastien is at a complete loss to explain why he should suddenly become the target of someone's obvious hatred for him.  After being pursued down a stretch of motorway by someone who obviously means him harm, the ex-reporter has good reason to think his life is in danger.  Unfortunately, the police are just as mystified as he is by these inexplicable - and so far pretty harmless - attempts to unnerve him.  As he pursues his own line of enquiry, Bastien discovers that Laura is mixed up with a German named Hagner who belongs to a dangerous political group.  It seems that Bastien is intended to play a crucial part in a carefully orchestrated assassination in Berlin, where Laura is to perform at a concert...