To Kill a Cop Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

To Kill a Cop Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 3, 2016

Alain Delon's "To Kill a Cop" a.k.a. "Pour la peau d'un flic" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and new featurette with clips from recent and archival interviews with journalist, Olivier Rajchman, producer Alain Terzian, and Alain Delon produced by Jerome Wybon. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The mad detective

Alain Delon directed two films during his illustrious career, both in the early 1980s. To Kill a Cop, his directorial debut, was never released on the home video market in America. In Europe, the film also did not get a proper English-friendly DVD release.

In Paris, private detective Choucas (Delon) is asked to find a blind girl who has gone missing. Choucas, who is already working on a different case, agrees, but almost immediately the prominent Inspector Coccioli (Daniel Ceccaldi, The Soft Skin, Love in the Afternoon) visits his office and advises him to drop the case because it is too complicated. Choucas ignores the warning and instead agrees to meet the girl’s mother (Annick Alane) near the Eiffel Tower after she contacts and tells him that he has very important information that can help his investigation. But someone executes the elderly woman and Choucas is forced to go into hiding because the authorities assume that he is directly responsible for the murder. Assisted by his beautiful and hopelessly romantic secretary (Anne Parillaud, La Femme Nikita, Innocent Blood) and his experienced partner (Michel Auclair, 3 Men to Kill, Beauty and the Beast), Choucas begins searching for clues that will lead him to the killer.

To Kill A Cop is very similar to the various crime films Delon appeared in during the late 1970s and early 1980s. These films blended action and romance and added a small dose of humor to give their stories a special flavor. In the more violent and intense ones the humor was typically darker and notably cynical, while in the lighter ones it was of the harmless kind that many of Georges Lautner’s classic films promoted.

Despite the presence of a few subplots that effectively expand the story, the film isn’t difficult to follow. The detective’s opponents are identified very early into the film and it quickly becomes obvious that it is only a matter of time before he discovers why the blind girl has disappeared. What isn’t entirely clear, at least initially, is how he is going to do it.

The actual case, however, is used only to group together and observe a set of different relationships. The most interesting one is between the detective and his beautiful secretary. She is married but madly in love with him and can’t stop showing him that he is the only man in her life that matters. The detective also has a special relationship with his partner, who happens to be the retired chief of police. Inspector Coccioli turns out to be quite the chameleon and the detective’s dealings with him eventually produce a very clear message. So while the overwhelming majority of the talk in the film is about the blind girl and the people responsible for the murder of her mother, the focus of attention is actually on the evolving relationships.

Delon and Parillaud look very relaxed and really wonderful together. Ceccaldi and Auclair are also likeable in their respective roles. Xavier Depraz, a very talented and hugely underrated character actor, plays a bad guy who seriously upsets the detective. Adult star Brigitte Lahaie quickly steps in front of the camera as well.

Dutch singer Oscar Benton’s fantastic song "Bensonhurst Blues" is frequently heard throughout the film. The song was the main reason why the film’s soundtrack became a hit amongst music collectors after it was released in Europe.

To Kill a Cop Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alain Delon's To Kill a Cop arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe.

Pathe restored To Kill a Cop in 2K in 2013. The label entrusted the work to Eclair Group for the image and L.E. Diapason for the sound. Pathe's Blu-ray release of To Kill a Cop is sourced from the recent 2K restoration.

The basic characteristics of the technical presentation are very similar to those of the recent restoration of 3 Men to Kill. The only difference here is that the shift to warmer color tonalities is a tad stronger. I don't find it distracting, but I would have preferred to have a better balanced color scheme. In terms of depth and clarity the presentation is quite impressive. Close-ups and the wider outdoor footage look terrific; contrast levels remain stable. Shadow definition also does not disappoint. Grain is evenly distributed and very well resolved. Edge-enhancement is never an issue of concern. Lastly, from start to finish the film looks spotless -- there are no large damage marks, scratches, cuts, stains, debris, or torn frames to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

To Kill a Cop Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Also included is a French Descriptive Audio DTS 2.0 track. There are optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The audio has been fully restored by the folks at L.E. Diapason and rather predictably the end result is mighty impressive. Oscar Benton's terrific "Bensonhurst Blues" is frequently heard throughout the film and it sounds absolutely terrific. Dynamic intensity is modest, but depth and separation are excellent. There are no balance issues. The dialog is stable, clean, and very easy to follow.

To Kill a Cop Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for To Kill a Cop. In French, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Derriere La Camera - presented here is a new featurette with clips from new interviews with journalist Olivier Rajchman and producer Alain Terzian, as well as clips from archival interviews with Alain Delon. The featurette was produced by Jerome Wybon for Pathe. In French, not subtitled. (24 min).

To Kill a Cop Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Alain Delon's directorial debut, To Kill a Cop, is a light and quite charming crime thriller that is very similar to the many films the French star appeared in during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Obviously, it visits a familiar territory, but the chemistry between Delon and Anne Parillaud is very good and Oscar Benton's "Bensonhurst Blues" gives the film a special flavor. Pathe's new Blu-ray release, which is sourced from a recent 2K remaster of the film, is English-friendly and Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.