Last Known Address Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Last Known Address Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 1, 2025

Jose Giovanni's "Last Known Address" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson, and vintage trailer for the film. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The demoted

In 1970, reformed gangster Jose Giovanni was already a star and had befriended France’s greatest actors. Charles Vanel, Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Lino Ventura, and Jean Rochefort had all appeared in films crediting Giovanni’s writings. Just as importantly, Giovanni had already directed two films, The Law of Survival and Birds of Prey, both of which had been well received by critics and the public. Last Known Address reunited Giovanni with Ventura, one of his closest actor friends, but its production was delayed several times, and for various reasons, the biggest being Marlene Jobert’s initial rejection of the part she was offered.

Ventura plays Marceau Leonetti, an aging Parisian detective known amongst his colleagues and throughout the underworld as a tough and fearless workhorse who always gets his targets. On a day like any other day, Leonetti pulls over a drunk man driving a fancy sports car and, while his frightened girlfriend praises his work, takes him into custody. However, several days later, the chief of police summons Leonetti and demotes him for using excessive force, citing evidence presented by the drunk man’s father, a notorious lawyer with many powerful friends, which his girlfriend has corroborated as well. The chief of police then confesses that the legitimacy of the evidence is practically irrelevant because Leonetti has a history of being aggressive when enforcing the law, dating all the way back to the tragic death of his wife.

After transferring to a suburban precinct, Leonetti is teamed up with newcomer Jeanne Dumas (Jobert), a young beauty who could be his daughter, and the two are ordered to shrink a motley crew of elusive sex maniacs operating in various cinemas across the city. The new partners meet their quota so quickly that the chief of police promptly presents them with a bigger, far more difficult challenge. Instead of picking up sex maniacs, Leonetti and Dumas are dispatched to track down Roger Martin (Phillipe March), a witness to a high-profile mafia execution, who has been missing for five years. They immediately go to work, not realizing that a top mafia killer (Michel Constantine) and his assistants are also eager to see them locate Martin.

In all of Giovanni’s films, the ones he directed and the ones he scripted, there are two crucial themes -- loyalty and honor. Giovanni used them to craft stories in which he refused to brand all criminals bad and all cops good. Instead, Giovanni judged people who operated on opposite sides of the law based on how they viewed loyalty and honor and allowed them to shape their identities and lives. This is why his films are populated with memorable, very authentic characters.

In Last Known Address, the search for the witness is just a ruse, allowing Giovanni to present more evidence that his grasp of people and their nature was correct. After he is demoted for being a bad cop, Leonetti repeatedly risks his life to uphold the law, frustrating even Dumas, who admires him but quickly concludes that the catalyst of his biggest problems is his inexorable desire to be a great cop. When the witness is eventually located, several developments then severely compromise Leonetti’s co-workers and critical boss.

Ventura is predictably excellent, especially in the second half, where he realizes that he is stuck in a lose-lose situation. Jobert is likable, but her performance frequently adds a touch of sugary melodrama that feels off. In fact, it is precisely this sugary melodrama that gives Last Known Address a dated appearance.

Giovanni used the services of cinematographer Etienne Becker, son of the great director Jacques Becker, who a decade earlier collaborated with Giovanni on one of the all-time greatest prison escape films, Le Trou a.k.a. The Hole.

Last Known Address Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Last Known Address arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release brings to America a recent 4K restoration of Last Known Address, prepared at the French lab VDM, with the support of Coin de Mire Cinema, in 2020. The 4K restoration was sourced from the film's original camera negative.

The quality of this 4K restoration is impossible to describe as anything else but a mixed bag. In fact, it is so inconsistent, it easily leaves the impression that two completely different parties attempted to get it done, which, of course, is an extremely unlikely scenario. The opening credits and several other areas reveal light but obvious tealing that damages the dynamic range of the visuals. Fortunately, delineation and depth remain pleasing, and later, both become even better. Also, later, the grading improves, and with it the overall strength of the visuals. However, most finer darker nuances are not as consistently convincing as they should be on a proper 4K restoration. Some primaries and supporting nuances are decent, close to where they need to be, if properly set, but elsewhere it is very easy to tell that they are off. Fortunately, the overall color balance remains tolerable, which makes it possible to enjoy the film. The best news is that there are no traces of problematic digital corrections. However, trained eyes will easily spot areas where the color grading choices affect the gamma levels. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks very healthy as well. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Last Known Address Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio has been fully remastered and there are no traces of any serious age-related anomalies. However, in a couple of places, during seemingly casual exchanges, clarity and balance reveal very surprising unevenness. The effect is not distracting, but I suspect that few people will miss it. Dynamic contrasts are modest, which is not surprising because the action material is not elaborate and the music has only a supporting role. The English translation is good, but the English subtitles need to be substantially bigger.

Last Known Address Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a fully restored original French trailer for Last Known Address. In French, with English subtitles. (4 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson.

Last Known Address Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Two themes dominate all of reformed gangster Jose Giovanni's films, the ones he directed and the ones he scripted. They are loyalty and honor. Giovanni used them to craft stories in which he refused to brand all criminals bad and all cops good. Instead, Giovanni judged people who operated on opposite sides of the law based on how they viewed loyalty and honor and allowed them to shape their identities and lives. For Last Known Address, his third film, Giovanni reunited with one of his closest friends, the great actor Lino Ventura, who plays an honest Parisian cop whose life spins out of control after he is demoted for upholding the law and dispatched to locate a long-missing witness. Kino Lorber's release brings to America a recent but quite average 4K restoration of Last Known Address. If it piques your interest, it is probably best to consider acquiring it during a sale. RECOMMENDED.