Tchao pantin (1983)
Directed by Claude Berri

Film Review

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.

Film Synopsis

Lambert, a chronically introverted man in his forties, leads the most solitary of lives.  He is more than happy to forget his past and shuns the company of others, content with working nights at an anonymous petrol station in a busy downmarket district of Paris.  He has no need of friends.  His bottle of rum is the only companion he needs to get him through the long empty hours.  One evening, Lambert's life suddenly changes when a stranger - Bensoussan, a young man of north African origin - arrives at the station to recharge his bike's petrol tank.  Like Lambert, Bensoussan has no family and lives by himself.  He just about scrapes a living by peddling drugs.  Improbably, the two men are drawn to one another, but the friendship is brutally cut short a few nights later when the younger man is murdered by two motorcyclists in front of Lambert.

Lambert is so appalled by the killing that he becomes overwhelmed by a desire to find Bensoussan's assailants and punish them himself.  All at once, the loner's past comes flooding back to him and again he relives the moment of his son's death from a drugs overdose.  The driven avenging angel begins his investigation in earnest and soon comes into contact with Lola, a punk girl with whom the murdered man recently had a brief liaison.  Visibly shocked by Bensoussan's death and moved by Lambert's determination to hunt down the culprits, Lola readily agrees to offer him her support.  Lambert is also assisted, albeit indirectly, by a police inspector named Bauer, who is more than willing to exploit an expendable hot-head in his efforts to smash a local drugs trafficking ring...