The French Detective

The French Detective

1975 · 87 min · ★ 6.7 · Crime, Drama, Thriller

When political thugs murder an opponent's volunteer and also kill a cop, chief inspector Verjeat believes the politician who hired them is as guilty as the murderous goon. Verjeat's pursuit of the councilman, Lardatte, gets him a warning from his superiors. When he embarrasses Lardatte while disarming a hostage (the dead volunteer's father), Verjeat is told he's being transferred within a week. He speeds up his hunt for the goon and, with Lefévre, one of his young detectives, he engineers a complicated scheme to buy more time before the transfer. How should Verjeat play out his values of honor and duty?

Directed by Pierre Granier-Deferre · Written by Francis Veber

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Cast

Lino Ventura Commissioner Verjeat
Patrick Dewaere Inspector Lefèvre
Victor Lanoux Pierre Lardatte
Julien Guiomar General controller Ledoux
Pierre Tornade Commissioner Pignol
Françoise Brion Marthe Rigaux, boss of the brothel
Claude Rich Judge Delmesse
Michel Peyrelon Roger Portor, brother of Antoine
Claude Brosset Antoine Portor, Lardatte's henchman
Gérard Hérold Inspector Moitrié
Gérard Dessalles Inspector Ransac
Jacques Rispal Mr. Mercier, father of the young man killed

Make it a double feature

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