Poulet au vinaigre

Claude Chabrol’s classic hard-boiled police thriller gives birth to the infamous inspector Lavardin, a cop who will go to whatever lengths he deems necessary to get to the bottom of the case.

In a provincial French town, three pillars of the community - the lawyer Lavoisier, the doctor Morasseau and the butcher Filiol – have formed a property development consortium and have set their eyes on all prime real-estate in the town. Madame Cuno’s old house is situated in such a desired spot and following her adamant refusal to sell, the men set out on a campaign of intimidation. An invalid living with her son Louis, the Cunos decide to fight back. However, the struggle uncontrollably escalates until death and disappearances occur, which brings inspector Lavardin to town.

Tightly plotted, pristinely shot and atmospherically scored, this is one of Chabrol’s most enjoyable and intriguing thrillers, among a vast and impressive body of work.

At the height of his powers, the director masterfully synergises all the elements of the whodunit, with a narrative to match the likes of Agatha Christie or Nicholas Blake. However, the addition of the amoral Lavardin brings a tougher edge to the prim, bourgeois affair, in the crime-writing vein of Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett.

The charismatic protagonist is incomparably played by the sublime Jean Poiret, who makes this captivating character his own and indeed would reprise the role in Chabrol’s sequel (Inspecteur Lavardin also playing on Cinémoi) as well as four TV movie spin-offs (two of which directed by Chabrol). However, a strong cast makes this movie far from a one man show, which includes several of the director’s regular players: Stéphane Audran (Les Bonnes Femmes), Michel Bouquet (The Bride Wore Black) and Lucas Belvaux (Madame Bovary).
Add in a touch of dark humour and you have all the ingredients for a film that, as the title suggests, is one to savour.