Le Juge et l'assassin

In a number of comments, surprise, or rather criticism, appears about the final scene which supposedly changes the meaning of the entire film and turns a psychological drama into red propaganda in the last minutes. Unfortunately, these viewers either failed to understand the social context that Tavernier is attempting to convey or have deficiencies in their knowledge of French history. The film actually has a clear opinion from the beginning and Tavernier doesn't aim for psychological drama as much as socio-critical drama, using the case of an exposed serial killer to criticize the social conditions and take a stance against the hypocrisy and double standards of the so-called upper classes. From the beginning to the end, a left-wing perspective is clearly felt, discussing, for example, the so-called Dreyfus affair, which was one of the most fundamental clashes between the republican and internationalist left and elitist nationalist right, and which had a clear anti-Semitic nature. The film also clearly exhibits an anti-clerical tone, with a number of scenes that expose the church. From today's perspective, it is necessary to highlight above all the outstanding performance of Michel Galabru, who portrayed the mentally disturbed killer with incredible virtuosity. Philippe Noiret as a professional opportunist and manipulator was also good, but Galabru surpassed him by several levels this time. By the way, I also disliked the mentioned scene at the end, but only because it was unnecessarily straightforward. The same could have been conveyed through some type of dialogue between the film characters. However, I won't spoil the rating of this excellent two-hour film because of a two-minute slip-up. Overall impression: 90%. (24.01.2015)