À pleines mains (1960)
Directed by Maurice Régamey

Film Review

Maurice Regamey is not a name that is well-remembered today but he directed one of the best early Louis de Funès comedies - Comme un cheveu sur la soupe (1957) - before trying his hand in an altogether different genre with this effective, albeit somewhat formulaic, pastiche of American film noir.  Regamey started out as an actor before making the move to the other side of the camera in the early 1950s, and he ended up directing just five feature-length films and several shorts, all mostly forgotten.  À pleines mains is arguably the most inspired and watchable of Regamey's films, a slick and suspenseful noir thriller that makes a complete contrast with his three light comedies - which include the lacklustre Fernandel vehicle Honoré de Marseille (1956) - and his swansong period drama La Salamandre d'or (1962).

À pleines mains is clearly the work of a fond devotee of the classic American noir B-movie.  Had it been dubbed by a cast of American actors, it could easily be mistaken for such, but its jazzy score - an essential addition to any French thriller after Louis Malle's genre-defining Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (1957) - gives it a modern Gallic identity.  Packed to the eyeballs with clichés and narrative sleights of hand, the plot isn't remotely credible but the authentic performances (from a mostly unfamiliar cast) and some deft mise-en-scène carry it through.  Louis Seigner, the most distinguished actor in the cast, has such a commanding presence as the inspector leading the investigation that you can easily imagine him in the role of Jules Maigret.  It's a shame that Maurice Regamey's work is so overlooked because, like his previous Louis de Funès romp, À pleines mains is an unexpected little gem that no self-respecting fan of French film noir should miss.

Film Synopsis

In Spain, a gang of crooks make off with an enormous quantity of watermarked paper with which they intend to make counterfeit banknotes.  Having made it back to France, they enlist the services of a forger named Besnard to painstakingly forge the banknotes.  His work done, Besnard is attacked and left for dead.  He is found just in time and is soon safe in hospital, tended to by a young intern, Pierre Chevillon.  The latter's fiancée Colette Guérin is a journalist who has grown tired of being patronised by her boss.  Intrigued by Besnard, she decides to investigate what he was up to, but soon ends up in the hands of a ruthless gang of criminals...