Counter Investigation
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| Contre-enquête | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Franck Mancuso |
| Written by | Franck Mancuso, after a story by Lawrence Block |
| Produced by | Patrick Gimenez, Eric Hubert , Romain Le Grand |
| Starring | Jean Dujardin, Laurent Lucas |
| Cinematography | Jérôme Alméras |
| Edited by | Andrea Sedláčková |
| Music by | Krishna Levy |
| Distributed by | Pathé Distribution |
Release date | 2007 |
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $7.6 million |
| Box office | $8 million[1] |
Contre-enquête is a French crime film directed by Franck Mancuso that came out in 2007, with Jean Dujardin in the leading rôle. From a story by Lawrence Block, it is about a policeman whose young daughter is raped and murdered.
Plot
When the young daughter of police captain Richard Malinowski is raped and murdered, his colleagues hastily find a suspect called Daniel Eckman. Despite there being no witnesses and no forensic evidence, he is sentenced to 30 years. From jail he starts writing to the policeman, expressing his deep regret for the death of the daughter and proclaiming his innocence. Doubts begin to surface in the mind of the policeman, who begins his own private enquiry. He finds that Salinas, a known serial killer of children, was in the area at the time of the killing.
As well as letters to the father, the prisoner has also been writing to Christine, a female sympathiser. He has a letter smuggled out to her, asking her to give false evidence on his behalf. A retrial is held and Eckman is freed, with compensation. Meeting Christine, he asks her to come away with him to a new life together, but she begins to have doubts about his honesty. He then rings Malinowski to ask if he can call round to thank him personally. Malinowski agrees, and gives him a whiskey full of sedative. When he comes to, he is bound in duct tape beside an open grave at the spot where the girl's body was found. After a brief explanation, Malinowski buries him alive.
Cast
- Jean Dujardin : Richard Malinowski
- Laurent Lucas : Daniel Eckman
- Agnès Blanchot : Claire Malinowski
- Aurélien Recoing : Stéphane Josse
- Jacques Frantz : Michel Arnalde
- Jean-Pierre Cassel : Dr. Delmas
- Jean-François Garreaud : Salinas
- Alexandra Goncalvez : Emilie Malinowski
- Claudine Vincent : Catherine Courrieux
- Caroline Santini : Christiane Carlier
- Marie Guillard : Mathilde Josse
- Gabriel Mancuso : Gabriel Josse
- Thierry Bosc : Albin Schneider
- Jean-Pierre Germain : Jean-François Perrin
- Benjamin Guyot : Lebars
- Luc Lavandier : Mertens
- Alain Meunier : Lieutenant Tarnos
- Jean-Pierre Rochette : Gino Battista
- Arsène Mosca : Ardouin
- Roland Timsit : Metlouti
- Hocine Choutri : Nault
- Nicolas Silberg : Maître Beckers
- Marie Espinosa : Vanessa
- Marie Lenoir : Presiding judge
- Françoise Pinkwasser : Annette Salinas
- Sophie Barjac : Judge Arcaro
- Philippe Ogouz : Appeal judge
- Georges Bécot : Maître Fiorucci
- Marc Samuel : Maître Darnay
- François Aramburu : Dr. Stéphanel
- Virginie Ledieu : Charlène Kraus
- Emmanuel Guttierez : Antoine Valdes
- Pierre-Jean Chérer : Stéphane Alexandre
- Fabrice Herbaut : Journalist
- Patrick Gimenez : Journalist
- Joseph Leroux : Sylvain Ferro
- Régis Romele : Undertaker
- Alexandra Goncalvez : Emilie Malinowski
- Sébastien Lalanne : Lawyer for Eckman
- Sophie Mounicot : Police inspector