0/1327 dipartimento criminale

Screenplays often deal with the problems of blackmail;but few of them showed a whole organization,all under an old dandy's thumb,and featuring femmes Fatales,escort boys... Leo Genn is the boss and Noel Roquevert,cast against type -one of his rare parts of a villain ,like in " Antoine Et Antoinette" - his right-hand man who hires the naive young man who wants to be a journalist and is asked to escort middle-aged ladies whereas an accomplice takes photographs .It's him who punishes -and it's really a beating up- the old beau who feels remorse and wants to rebel against his associates .

Guy Lefranc 's movie can be considered a good French film noir of the fifties ,depicting a dark atmosphere where nobody except Denise can't be trusted ,from a lawyer whose main interest is his career to the elegant foreigner living in his desirable mansion.Best scene is perhaps Denise's father's "escape" from jail : a model of the genre ,in its concision.