Like a Fine Bordeaux, Getting More Robust With Age
MOVIE REVIEW
Inspector Bellamy (2009)
The Film Society of Lincoln Center/Unifrance
Gérard Depardieu looks terrible these days. He’s always packed a few extra pounds, but right now he’s just obese. No doubt, the death of his son Guillaume last October has taken a toll on him, but who knows if that’s a factor in his letting himself go? He has made some lousy choices through the years, as have De Niro, Pacino and other fine, only-last-name-necessary actors of his generation. Even though time really hasn’t been kind to him, Mr. Depardieu can still generate some movie-star wattage and pull off the larger-than-life presence of a leading man. He has done it so expertly in “Inspector Bellamy” – a star vehicle made-to-measure by none other than Claude Chabrol – that one sometimes forgets he is lugging around some 200 extra pounds.
Mr. Depardieu plays the eponymous character, a renowned police commissioner vacationing in Nîmes with his wife, Françoise (Marie Bunel). Paul Bellamy lives for his work, and he readily welcomes the distraction when Noël Gentil (Jacques Gamblin) contacts him out of the blue to confess an insurance fraud and the possible foul play involved. Meanwhile, Paul’s black-sheep half brother Jacques (Clovis Cornillac) shows up to disrupt the peace and quiet in a bid to settle an old score.
Fans of Mr. Chabrol who expect “Inspector Bellamy” to be a policier or whodunit will be disappointed. It isn’t a psychological thriller either, despite the Freudian sibling rivalry and all. In his first collaboration with Mr. Depardieu, Mr. Chabrol sets out to tailor a role that is fit for the preeminent leading man of French cinema. The joy is to watch Mr. Depardieu slipping into it with such effortless charm and charisma even when we fear that seams might burst and buttons might fly at any time. If nothing else, the film proves that, unlike many of his contemporaries who appear to be coasting, Mr. Depardieu is no mere fat-suited caricature of his former self.
INSPECTOR BELLAMY
Opens on Oct. 29, 2010 in Manhattan.
Directed by Claude Chabrol; written by Odile Barski and Mr. Chabrol; director of photography, Eduardo Serra; edited by Monique Fardoulis; music by Matthieu Chabrol; production design by Françoise Benoit-Fresco; costumes by Mic Cheminal; produced by Patrick Godeau; released by IFC Films (United States). In French, with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes. This film is not rated.
WITH: Gérard Depardieu (Paul Bellamy), Clovis Cornillac (Jacques Lebas), Jacques Gamblin (Noël Gentil/Emile Leullet/Denis Leprince), Vahina Giocante (Nadia Sancho), Marie Matheron (Madame Leullet), and Marie Bunel (Françoise Bellamy).
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