French director Bertrand Tavernier adapted Jim Thompson's pulp novel, Pop. 1280 into this dark comedy about a small town lawman who starts killing the people who get in his way. Constable Lucien Cordier is completely a ineffective constable in a small 1930's French West African town who is regarded as a fool by the towns crooks, his bosses and his wife. Cordier isn't even good at taking bribes and has never actually arrested anyone. As the film moves on it is clear that there is much more going on in Cordier's head than what there appears to be on the surface and what emerges is an excellent character study and a lesson in too much power gone wrong. Coup de Torchon is a bit uneven but is still well worth seeing for Phillipe Noiret's portrayal of Cordier alone. Some of the comedy is too broad and if the film is meant to be chilling, it fails to ever do so but the nihilistic spirit of Thompson's work is ever present.
Rating: 4
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