Maigret shows no mercy | Film-reviews.de

For many years, Commissioner Jules Maigret (Jean Gabin) the Countess of Saint-Fiacre (Valentine Tessier) that he still knows from his childhood. However, the happy reunion has a dark background: someone has written the old lady a threatening letter in which she announces her death the next day. Maigret is determined to prevent this crime. And yet she actually dies: while attending mass in church, she suffers a heart attack. Everything points to a natural death. But the experienced police officer suspects that someone helped. But how? And who benefits from it? Both Maurice (Michel Auclair), the countess’ easy-going son, as well as her secretary Lucien Sabatier (Robert Hirsch) are suspicious to him because they had previously shamelessly exploited the dead woman…

Second appearance of a great detective

Even if Georges Simenon Although he has of course written a wide variety of books over the course of his long career, most people will associate him with his novels about Inspector Maigret. The Belgian author wrote a total of 75. These have also been made into films many times, most recently in Maigret with Gérard Depardieu in the main role. But Jean Gabin also shone in the role of the sharp police officer. He first portrayed him in 1958 Inspector Maigret sets a trapwhere the protagonist hunts a serial killer. This followed just a year later Maigret shows no mercy a second film. The novel published in 1932 provided the basis for this The Saint-Fiacre Affair.

The story is a little out of the ordinary in that, on the one hand, the murder is announced. This excludes any emotional acts that are so often found in crime novels. It’s clear here that something is planned. On the one hand, it is puzzling why one should announce it at all, since one is actually relying on the surprise effect. But the question of how the heart attack could have been caused also needs to be clarified. Apart from these two points Maigret shows no mercy but a classic whodunit crime thriller in which a body is found and then you have to find out who committed the murder. This means that people have to be interrogated, searched for leads, and motive and possibility checked. Just the usual procedure.

Cozy representative of the genre

The questions are only answered at the end – also in the classic way. There is even a group comparison where everything is recapitulated again in a group, a situation like that in Agatha Christie often found. The tension at Maigret shows no mercy consists in solving the puzzles, rather than in the plot. While in Maigret’s first case mentioned above there was a risk that the murderer would strike again, that is almost impossible here. This makes the film interesting for an audience that likes to ponder in peace. On the other hand, viewers who need a constant thrill are in no place here. It is a leisurely and cozy representative of the genre.

But that doesn’t mean everything is completely harmless. It’s not just the murder itself. As time goes on, more and more depths are revealed for everyone involved; the old lady was surrounded by a number of greedy and ruthless people. This makes the film quite dark. It is also atmospheric, even decades later. And it doesn’t need to be emphasized that Gabin is ideally cast for such a role. He practically carries the film alone for long stretches. Anyone who is in the mood for a traditional crime thriller like this and doesn’t mind the somewhat slow pace will join in Maigret shows no mercy well served, even if the resolution is not very credible.

OT: „Maigret and the Saint-Fiacre affair“
Land: France, Italy
Year: 1959
Director: Jean Delannoy
Script: Rodolphe-Maurice Arlaud, Jean Delannoy
Template: Georges Simenon
Music: Jean Prodromides
Camera: Louis Page
Occupation: Jean Gabin, Michel Auclair, Valentine Tessier, Robert Hirsch, Michel Vitold, Paul Frankeur

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