Movie Review: Inspector Bellamy
Background: I was browsing Roger Ebert's movie critique site and read his review of Inspector Bellamy. Ebert gave it three and a half-stars, saying it was a quiet, good-natured mystery film in the style of Maigret. The movie focused more on the characters than the murder and that tidbit intrigued me. Plus, it was playing at the independent theater that has the really good popcorn we get for free with a passholder ticket.
Review: It was very French. Or maybe I should say European. Inspector Bellamy a very quiet film where you don't expect much to happen besides people talking. There are no gunfights or car chases or interrogation room beat downs. It's a old pot-bellied Frenchmen (Gerard Depardieu) who kindly asks direct questions and receives polite evasions. There's no sneering disgust, only patient disappointment with human failings. It's a very kind yet realistic film.
At the heart of the film is Bellamy's content, supportive marriage that doesn't have any undercurrents of unhappiness or boredom. Bellamy and his wife are a treat to watch because they have such a genuine relationship. A little bit of stress is put on their marriage when Bellamy's drunken failure of a half-brother comes to visit.
The actual crime in the film boils down to this: did a man kill a homeless man, who may have been suicidal, by pushing that man in the first man's car over a cliff? The first man, Leullet, supposedly did this to collect insurance money to run away with his mistress, but now he feels guilty and she doesn't recognize him with his new plastic surgery. The homeless man and Leullet in his post- and pre-op incarnations are played by the same person; Surprisingly, this is not as confusing or hard to follow as it sounds.
(And I love the way the French see "other women": it's so matter of fact, like, oh - why wouldn't you have another woman on the side? There's no real morality or disappointment to it, it's just another way of life. Culturally, it's fascinating.)
So is it a good movie? Yes, for what it is: a leisurely investigation of a crime by good-natured people. I find the trial and conviction of the murderer to be very interesting, especially after Bellamy's revelation at the end. It's a very interesting insight into the psychology of this particular policeman and why he treats what may be deplorable killers the way he does.
Full disclosure: I did fall asleep during the middle for about ten minutes (the first time I think I've done that in a theater, actually). In my defense, it's a very soothing movie and I didn't miss much.
Verdict: *** / ****