Jenny Lamour sings in a music hall in postwar Paris, accompanied by her husband, Maurice Martineau, on piano. When Martineau notices his wife flirting with an older businessman named Georges Brignon, he follows her to Brignon's house with the intent to kill him. At the house, Brignon is found murdered -- but by someone else. Inspector Antoine conducts an investigation that implicates Martineau, whose planned alibi comes loose.
An elegant show-biz noir that weaves an intricate web of deception and intrigue.
– Chris Vognar,
Dallas Morning News,
17 Apr 2003
fresh:
Terrifically entertaining.
– Ty Burr,
Boston Globe,
18 Apr 2003
fresh:
This is a film well worth reviving, admiring and applauding.
– Colin Covert,
Minneapolis Star Tribune,
29 May 2003
fresh:
Direction by Henri-Georges Clouzot takes full advantage of every possible opportunity to bring out character and manages to keep the tempo at a fast clip all the time.
– Variety Staff,
Variety,
26 Mar 2009
fresh:
Clouzot is able to reveal a complex and interactive working-class world in which cops and criminals are sometimes difficult to tell apart.