Death of a Corrupt Man (French: Mort d'un pourri), also known as The Twisted Detective, Death of a Swine and To Kill a Rat, is a 1977 French political thriller directed by Georges Lautner and starring Alain Delon. The film is based on the novel by Raf Vallet.
Contents
Plot
MP Philippe Dubaye wakes up his friend Xavier "Xav" Maréchal and reveals that he has just killed Serrano, a colleague from the National Assembly. Serrano had been demanding Dubaye's resignation, threatening to expose his corruption to the press; he possessed a notebook documenting corrupt acts involving various political figures. After killing Serrano, Dubaye seized the notebook to hide it.
At Dubaye's request, Xavier Maréchal retrieves the dossier and hides it in a locker at the RER station in the La Défense business district. He meets Valérie Agostinelli, Philippe Dubaye's former mistress. Dubaye is subsequently murdered.
The police investigate the murder, while others—some well-intentioned, others not—seek to get their hands on the infamous notebook. Everyone tries to win Xavier Maréchal over, using tactics ranging from the subtle to the overt: intimidation, bribery, and even the ransacking of his apartment. Following the murder of Christiane Dubaye—his slain friend's wife—Maréchal leaks parts of the dossier to the press, thereby compromising certain politicians.
During a hunting trip in Sologne—on the way to which he narrowly escapes hitmen after a high-speed truck chase—he confronts a mysterious businessman named Nicolas Tomski, who aggressively pressures him to hand over the notebook. Yet Maréchal withstands all pressure and threats of reprisal or death, driven by interest in a single name: that of the person who murdered his friend, MP Dubaye.
Ultimately, he learns the culprit's identity from Fondari, a crooked businessman; the name is revealed in the final scene, which takes place at the La Défense RER station.
Cast
Alain Delon as Xavier 'Xav' Maréchal
Ornella Muti as Valérie
Stéphane Audran as Christiane
Mireille Darc as Françoise
Maurice Ronet as Philippe Dubaye
Michel Aumont as Commissaire Moreau
Jean Bouise as Commissaire Pernais
Daniel Ceccaldi as Lucien Lacor
Julien Guiomar as Fondari
Klaus Kinski as Nicolas Tomski
François Chaumette as Lansac
Xavier Depraz as Marcel
Henri Virlojeux as Paul
Colette Duval as La secrétaire de Serrano
Carole Lange (a.k.a. Carole Achache) as La fille du vestiaire
El Kebir as Kébir
Gérard Hérold as Dupaire
Musical score and soundtrack
The film score was composed and arranged by Philippe Sarde and features saxophonist Stan Getz fronting the London Symphony Orchestra and the soundtrack album was first released on the French Melba label.
Allmusic's Yuri German noted, "Film director Georges Lautner, who worked with Philippe Sarde on a dozen films, said that he was always impressed by the composer's ability to find an original musical approach to each picture. This time, Sarde, who always closely follows the editing process, suggested that they needed a strong soloist, preferably a tenor saxophone player, who would serve as a musical counterpart for the actor Alain Delon's famous good looks. Being a perfectionist, he opted for Stan Getz, one of the all-time great tenor saxophonists. Watching Getz's performance, Lautner decided to find a way to put the musician in the picture. He filmed Getz playing the opening theme, "Paris, Cinq Heures du Matin", solo, and it's the saxophonist's silhouette that appears during the credits sequence in the beginning of the film... The soundtrack turned out to be costly, but the director was pleased with the outcome. Sarde's instincts were right—Getz's saxophone gave the soundtrack a lyrical, nostalgic quality—fitting for Alain Delon's quest in the film for the sake of the past, to honor the memory of his dead friend".
Track listing
All compositions by Philippe Sarde.
"Paris, 5 H Du Matin" - 2:38
"Souvenirs" - 2:05
"Valérie" - 1:35
"Les Camions" - 1:30
"L'Attente" - 1:17
"Getz O Mania" - 3:07
"Mort d'un Pourri" - 5:30
"Montparnasse" - 3:37
"Cafeteria" - 1:23
"Les Aveux" - 1:08
"Rocquencourt" - 1:50
"Tout est Tranquille" - 1:50
Personnel
Stan Getz - tenor saxophone
Andy LaVerne - piano
Marcel Azzola - bandoneon
Rick Laird - bass
Billy Hart - drums
Efrain Toro - percussion
London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Carlo Savina