Directed by Bertrand Tavernier • 1992 • France
Starring Didier Bezace, Jean-Paul Comart, Charlotte Kady
This absorbing, unfailingly naturalistic procedural goes inside the world of the Parisian police department as it struggles to control the drug trade. Through the eyes of Lucien Marguet (Didier Bazace)—an ultradetermined narcotics officer obsessed with cleaning up the streets whose fierce dedication to his job puts him in conflict with his often-incompetent colleagues—we experience the city’s underbelly of criminals, dealers, addicts, and sex workers. Astutely avoiding cop-movie cliches, director Bertrand Tavernier offers a clear-eyed, authentically gritty portrait of the complex relationship between those inside and outside the law.
Up Next in Part 1: The Films
-
The Undeclared War
Directed by Bertrand Tavernier • 1992 • France
Though it was never officially called a “war,” the French-Algerian conflict that spanned 1954 to 1962 had a profound effect on both countries and those who fought in it. In this epic documentary, director Bertrand Tavernier sheds light on this chapt...
-
Captain Conan
Directed by Bertrand Tavernier • 1996 • France
Starring Philippe Torreton, Samuel Le Bihan, Bernard Le CoqBertrand Tavernier delves into the murky morality of wartime in this complex human drama. Following the signing of the armistice in the waning days of World War I, the courageous Captain Co...
-
It All Starts Today
Directed by Bertrand Tavernier • 1999 • France
Starring Maria Pitarresi, Philippe Torreton, Nadia KaciDirector Bertrand Tavernier brings a vivid social realism and rich humanism to this stirring study of one man fighting against the odds to make a difference. Daniel Lefebvre (Philippe Torreton)...
