Somewhere between a procedural and a whodunit, with visual flair that would be at home in the most hard-boiled of film noirs. Clouzot tries something unique in that he doesn't keep the audience in the dark by burying us at the bottom of a labyrinth. Instead, we watch the mice navigate the maze from an all-knowing position above, and the dramatic irony lends the film some tension and suspense.

Wonderful thriller, that could only be brought up by such an artist like Clouzot. But, damn, what an awful ending! It just didn't fit at all!

# 869

Clouzot is as great at creating suspense as Hitchcock and he does a great job with this one. It starts off as a rather light affair with a little romance and music and then turns increasingly into a tense experience of deceit and mistrust. The only weak point is the ending which, while not bad just doesn't seem to quite fit the film.

Not bad but I'm still trying to figure out what's supposed to be so special about this one

An excellent noir-ish suspenseful "wrong man" type thriller. The kind of thing Hitchcock would do, and I honestly don't think he could have done it any better than Clouzot. Except for one thing... I don't want to give it away, but something happens at the end that's somewhat contrary to the tone of the rest of the film. It's very odd and jarring, and it's what keeps me from giving this one a higher rating.

A great, labyrinthian suspense noir flick. The way the crime investigation plays out, taking advantage both of what the viewer and the various characters know and don't know, is very creative and drives along the plot in an extremely neat and clever manner. I also found the dilemma of the two main characters fascinating; one of them is suspected for a murder, and the other one knows who did it, but can't say who. Blier and Jouvet give great performances, and it's well-shot and -directed.

Somewhat tedious. Corny music (that "Tra La La" song will eat into your brain flesh) and slow pace; featuring Bob Newhart as the near-fall guy.

Postwar film noir from the country that gave us the term. The final plot twist reveals nothing so much as the essential trashiness of the project, yet the atmosphere of damp nocturnal streets and seedy backstage show business and European sexual frankness is strong enough to be practically smelled, and the workings of the jaws of fate do indeed draw you deep into noir before spitting you out into the trash bin.

Fantastic photography, I was hooked from the very first shot of the girls walking under the arch all the way to the last shot of the cop and his son walking back through that same arch. Great writing. Great acting. Great great great!

A well-shot and lit film from Clouzot, with a clever narrative and engaging characters--especially the police detective. Ultimately its the characters and their particular social setting that make the film so engaging. Every character is suspicious of the police, to the point of paranoia about answering even a few questions. It's that paranoia in the midst of socially unacceptable behaviors that Clouzot captures so well.