DuffyShort Marie Bunel as Françoise Bellamy is the real keeper in this movie. In a world where nothing is as it seems, she is just as much an enigma. The scenery is the second best co-star in this flick. The movie does move slow and if Gérard Depardieu gets any fatter he won't fit on the television screen. It will become a requirement that his movies must be watched at the cinema.His performance is uninspiring. Save this movie for a rainy Sunday afternoon.What would you expect for a man that sums himself up by saying, "I'm not a monster, I'm just a man who wants to pee."

Argemaluco Even though I generally like the work of some modern French directors (such as, for example, Christophe Gans, Jean-Pierre Jeunet or Louis Leterrier), I have never been a big fan of the "classic masters" such as Eric Rohmer (1920-2010), Robert Bresson (1901-1999) or Claude Chabrol.However, I like French cop cinema, and because of that, I decided to surpass my prejudices and watch Bellamy, the most recent film from Chabrol, who was responsible of acclaimed films like Landru, Une Affaire de Femmes and Madame Bovary (which, by the way, are the only ones from him I had seen).As for Bellamy, it ended up being a very interesting film experience which is more interested in the interaction between the characters than in the mystery from the plot.It was an interesting contrast to watch Bellamy during the same weekend I suffered the horrible Knight and Day.In a certain sense, both belong to the category of "thrillers", but they could not have been more different with each other.Knight and Day treats its main characters as "props"...in other words, mere decorations with attractive faces in order to add a superfluous human element to the chases and explosions.On the contrary, Bellamy plunges us into the intimacy of its characters and is reluctant to fall into modern narrative formulas, preferring to use a slow rhythm which did not bother me at all, but I am sure that some spectators will find it boring.So, Bellamy is not for everyone; personally, I liked it pretty much mainly because of the solid performances and because I found the screenplay to be very well written.Nevertheless, Bellamy is not perfect: the screenplay has a few forced elements and there are some scenes which feel out of place; but despite that and in my case, the balance definitely fell on the positive side, and I recommend it with the warning that you do not have to expect a typical cop flick.So, Bellamy did not become me into a fan of Chabrol, but the best thing I can say about it is that it inspired me to look forward to his future work.

MARIO GAUCI Having taken an unplanned breather from my ongoing Chabrol marathon, I ended up missing out on the very birthday I was celebrating! Anyway, I promptly reprised the schedule via his most recent offering – which, though it seems to have slipped pretty much under everybody's radar, emerges a decidedly solid effort.Amazingly, the director and the film's leading man – Gerard Depardieu, one of France's top stars for the last 35 years – had never worked together and, while the result does not particularly tax either of their talents, the thoroughly professional (but, at the same time, relaxed) contribution of both here attests to their longevity. Incidentally, I last watched this actor not too long ago in similar (albeit period) guise in DARK PORTALS: THE CHRONICLES OF VIDOCQ (2001), where the exploits of that real-life detective had received distinctly fanciful treatment.In fact, here Depardieu (looking incredibly puffy if still charismatic) is an eminent Police Inspector on vacation who is approached by a strange man confessing his responsibility in the demise of another whose charred body was discovered on a nearby beach in the film's opening scene. As the titular figure burrows into the case, he realizes not only that the identity of both killer and victim were fake but also that they are one and the same! Having become involved with a much younger woman, the man had intended disappearing (and eventually change facial features, which he does!) to throw his wife off the scent. However, the patsy selected for this ruse proves to be a tramp with a death-wish – so that it turns out the would-be killer is actually innocent of his own admitted crime!!The situation, then, is resolved in a most surprising trial sequence – with the Prosecuting Attorney assuming, at Depardieu's instigation, the role of Defense Counsel as well and providing his definitive statement in song! To complicate matters for Bellamy even further, his ne'er-do-well half-brother – with whom he shares a love/hate relationship – comes to visit and, at the end, perishes in much the same mysterious way as the subject of his latest investigation!As can be surmised from my comments, the film is essentially a lightweight, old-fashioned affair (barring a few swift transitions in the modern manner) but polished and entertaining enough to reap considerable rewards for movie connoisseurs of most persuasions.

Yves Le Gat Chabrol is definitely at his best in Bellamy. It is subtle, full of humor, and very well played. The performance of Gérard Depardieu, kind of ogre, easy-going but not only, Marie Bunel, with her touch of amused sensuality, Jacques Gamblin, mastering three characters, three faces of the madness, and Clovis Cornillac, as a magnificent alcoholic loser, are simply tremendous. Some knowledge of Georges Brassens songs and Georges Simenon detective novels (Both Georges...) can optionally help to better appreciate the dialogs. But anyway, go and dive into the fascinating depth of the characters. Is Mr Gentil a killer? What is Commissaire Bellamy's terrific secret? Bellamy is the kind of detective movie the Commissaire Maigret's novels should have been adapted for the screen alike.