Mort d'un pourri Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Mort d'un pourri Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 17, 2015

Georges Lautner's "Mort d'un pourri" a.k.a. "Death of a Corrupt Man" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and a new documentary produced by Jerome Wybon. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"I'm ungrateful. It's my way of being loyal."

Corrupt politician Philippe Dubaye (Maurice Ronet, La Piscine) kills the ambitious swindler Serrano after he discovers that he is planning to blackmail him. Dubaye then asks his best pal Xav Marechal (Alain Delon, Flic Story) to provide him with an alibi, but does not tell him that he has stolen from Serrano an important file with information about the dirty dealings of other prominent political figures. When the police begin questioning Xav and mention the file, he goes berserk, and later on demands that his friend tells him the truth about his meeting with Serrano. This time Dubaye confesses that he has hidden the file in an apartment in Rocquencourt, which he has rented for his mistress, Valerie (Ornella Muti, Swann in Love). The two then agree that it would be best if Xav picks up the file and leaves it in a locker at the train station until the police stop looking for it in Dubaye’s properties. In Rocquencourt, Xav meets Valerie and recovers the file, but before they can leave someone tries to kill them. In the chaos, Xav gives the file to Valerie and tells her to meet him a day later at Montparnasse. The two part ways and Xav heads back to Dubaye’s office, where he discovers the cold body of his friend. Shortly after, his life spins of out of control.

Based on Jean Laborde’s novel, Georges Lautner’s Mort d’un pourri a.k.a. Dead of a Corrupt Man essentially promotes the idea that justice is a commodity and only fools and maniacs do not realize it. It is not in any way a preachy film, but there are a number of specific statements in it that actually make it stick out amongst the other crime films from the same period the likes of Henri Verneuil, Jacques Deray, and Alain Corneau directed.

Delon’s character is a seasoned professional who understands well that in Paris too many important people wear masks and are taking serious risks -- including his best friend. So he isn’t surprised to learn that his friend has made a lot of money by breaking the law. When he agrees to help him, however, he assumes that the death of the swindler will be quickly forgotten. But it is only the beginning of a massive crisis that soon threatens to collapse the careers of many more important people, some even at the highest echelons of the judicial system.

The crisis also introduces other players, such as the mysterious Mr. Tomsky (played by Klaus Kinski, Aguirre, Wrath of God), who try to settle old scores and form new partnerships. Xav is forced to choose a side, but after he refuses he and Valerie are forced to run for their lives.

The final act feels a bit cluttered, but perhaps deservedly so as Lautner obviously wants to highlight the fact that when the masks begin to fall off the ugly chaos is inevitable.

Delon, Muti, and Ronet are fantastic. There are also terrific cameos by the beautiful Stéphane Audran, who plays Dubaye’s alcoholic wife, Michel Aumont as the suspicious detective Morot, and Jean Bouise, as Morot’s superior.

The film looks sharp and very stylish. It was lensed by the great French cinematographer Henri Decae, whose work in Louis Malle’s Elevator to the Gallows, Rene Clement’s Purple Noon, Serge Bourguignon’s Sundays and Cybèle, and Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï is legendary.

The lush score from Philippe Sarde is equally impressive. It features superb sax solos from jazz legend Stan Getz that rival Miles Davis’ tunes from the Elevator to the Gallows soundtrack.

Mort d'un pourri Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Georges Lautner's Death of a Corrupt Man arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe.

Pathe restored Death of a Corrupt Man in 2K in 2013. The label entrusted the work to Eclair Group for the image and L.E. Diapason for the sound.

The film clearly looks the best it ever has, but there are a few issues that should have been avoided. First, there are traces of extremely light denoising corrections that can be spotted during select wider shots (not necessarily panoramic shots). While they are not overly distracting, sensitive viewers with large displays or projectors will most likely see them (see screencaptures #8 and 11). Second, early into the film there is a short sequence -- in which Dubaye meets Xav and reveals to him that he has killed Serrano -- where the brightness settings are problematic and as a result for a few seconds shadow definition becomes poor (see screencapture #6). Third, also in the very beginning of the film I noticed extremely light banding. I don't think that it is distracting, but it is there. This being said, depth and clarity range from very good to excellent, with most well-lit close-ups looking quite wonderful (see screencaptures #2 and 15). Colors are a bit too cold, but the overall balance is decent. There are absolutely no stability or transition issues. Finally, there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, or warps to report in this review. To sum it all up, even though the issues mentioned above should have been avoided, they are all rather easy to tolerate and the majority of the film actually looks quite healthy and pleasingly vibrant. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Mort d'un pourri Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Mono). Also included is a French Descriptive DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. There are optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature.

L.E. Diapason's restoration is outstanding and I truly could not be happier with the lossless track. Indeed, Philippe Sarde's lovely jazzy score has a very important role in the film and fortunately it sounds simply terrific (listen to Stan Getz's sax solos in the beginning of the film). The action sequences also impress with excellent depth and clarity. The dialog is crisp, well balanced, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. Finally, there are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review.

Mort d'un pourri Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Film Annonce - original French trailer for Death of a Corrupt Man. In French, not subtitled. (3 min).

• L'homme Seul - this new documentary film focuses on the production history of Death of a Corrupt Man and its message. Included in it are clips from archival interviews with Alain Delon, director Georges Lautner, and scenarist Michel Audiard, and new interviews with journalist Olivier Rajchman and composer Philippe Sarde. The documentary was produced by Jerome Wybon. In French, not subtitled. (28 min).

Mort d'un pourri Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some of the political statements in Georges Lautner's Death of a Corrupt Man are admittedly a bit too straightforward, but it is hard not to agree with them. After all, it has been proven many times that laws are made to be broken, and the less one knows about those who routinely do it while representing the law, the better. The film has a terrific cast, it is beautifully lensed by the great Henri Decae, and it has a top-notch soundtrack. Pathe's 2K restoration is outstanding, but the technical presentation could have been more convincing. RECOMMENDED.