A spellbinding psychological drama adapted from one of the master of the forms novels, Patrice Leconte tells a love story, a tale of obsession and a murder investigation with some of the most beautiful mise-en-scene you'll ever see. It's the kind of sensuous film Perfume should have been.

Monsieur Hire (Michel Blanc) keeps himself to himself and is thought slightly strange by his neighbours, who think it is likely he was responsible for the murder of a young girl. He has been watching Alice (Sandrine Bonnaire) and her boyfriend Emile for some time, but has fallen deeply in love with her. He follows them, and he is in turn followed by the police who believe, like the neighbours that Monsieur Hire's oddness makes him prime candidate to be the murderer.
This is an excellent film, with unexpected twists that make one have to reassess the motivations of all of the characters.

It all gets a touch too melodramatic near the end which is disappointing as the other Leconte films I've seen have always managed to stay just to the right side of that line but mostly rights itself with a very satisfying final scene. I appreciated the film making a real human being of a character who is usually a menacing (or comedic/pathetic) one-dimensional plot point in most other films. Blanc plays Hire with just the right amount of humanity for such a withdrawn character though one must fault Sandrine Bonnaire for constantly making me ask myself if Kira Sedgwick was perhaps fluent in French.

Monsieur Hire (Michel Blanc) keeps himself to himself and is thought slightly strange by his neighbours, who think it is likely he was responsible for the murder of a young girl. He has been watching Alice (Sandrine Bonnaire) and her boyfriend Emile for some time, but has fallen deeply in love with her. He follows them, and he is in turn followed by the police who believe, like the neighbours that Monsieur Hire's oddness makes him prime candidate to be the murderer.
This is an excellent film, with unexpected twists that make one have to reassess the motivations of all of the characters.

A spellbinding psychological drama adapted from one of the master of the forms novels, Patrice Leconte tells a love story, a tale of obsession and a murder investigation with some of the most beautiful mise-en-scene you'll ever see. It's the kind of sensuous film Perfume should have been.

Part of March Movie Madness

A strangely captivating thriller.

Voyeurism and
Michael Nyman’s score; these two
Also no bad scenes.

A short film about a weird man

Patrice Leconte adapts the same material as in Julien Duvivier's Panique. First time I came across Leconte was with his magnificent La fille sur le pont, a movie I can't recommend highly enough, and I've been itching to get deeper into his catalog ever since.

This is a short film, and yet Leconte manage to combine a character study with the story at hand. It's very well acted. Especially Michel Blanc --as Mr. Hire-- is excellent, but also Sandrine Bonnaire is excellent cast and truly captures the essence of Alice with her presence.

It's also fascinating and intriguing, uses music very well, and is well shot. A really enjoyable experience, and I'll definitely not wait as long again before my next encounter with a Leconte movie.

Monsieur Hire was watched to check it off my TOTAGA-list.