Que la bête meure

Genre: psychological drama/suspense
Director: Claude Chabrol
Release: 1969
Studio: Films La Boétie/Rizzoli Film Prodns
Rating: PG
MBiS score: 8.5/10


Revenge is a Dish Best Eaten Cold

Suspense movies often overwhelm us with violent flourishes, pounding music and a constant sense of dread but this film by Claude Chabrol chooses a very different path. Aside from its seemingly angry title, QUE LA BÊTE MEURE (This Man Must Die) details a subdued and intellectualized quest for revenge, without bombast but with bite nonetheless. Typically French… and typically Chabrol.
It starts innocently enough with a young boy walking up from the beach to his village in Brittany. When he reaches a sunny plaza, he is struck by a car and dies on the spot while the vehicle disappears in a cloud of dust. The boy’s father, Charles Thénier, is shattered by the tragedy. While recovering, he learns that the car was a Mustang – a very unusual model in France – and swears to kill its driver. By then, he has so tempered his soul that he keeps his feelings to himself, confiding only in a notebook.
After this brief set-up, the film focuses on Charles’ lust for revenge, his methodical investigation and his faceoff with the man who took his son’s life. Need I say more about the plot? Of course not, except that it will keep you guessing until the very end. As for its mood, be prepared for cynical dialogues, soul-searching, characters venting about everyday problems and a few moments as hilarious as they are awkward. Though I’m no expert in movie technique, I can safely say that Chabrol has avoided any faux pas in his enigmatic thriller. I won’t complain either about the cast, buoyed by a calculating Michel Duchaussoy, a sympathetic Caroline Cellier and an extremely vulgar Jean Yanne (whose vileness cracked me up every time he appeared on screen). Add great tension to the mix, a few choice twists and – voilà! – you have a winner in the purest sense of the word. Give it a try… you won’t regret it!


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