A pathetic police chief, humiliated by everyone around him, suddenly wants a clean slate in life, and resorts to drastic means to achieve it.
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Bertrand Tavernier transports Jim Thompson’s 'Pop. 1280' to French colonial West Africa, transforming a pulpy noir into a chilling, darkly comedic exploration of moral decay. Philippe Noiret’s seemingly bumbling police chief descends into nihilistic violence, exposing the hypocrisy and casual racism of the colonial establishment. It’s a masterful, unsettling character study.
from “10 Cinematic Journeys Worth Taking: Rediscovering Cinema's Unsung Visions” →
Bertrand Tavernier's *Coup de Torchon* (Clean Slate) takes a classic pulp novel and transplants it to French colonial Africa, creating a blackly comedic, brutal character study. A seemingly inept police chief, played with unsettling brilliance by Philippe Noiret, decides to take justice, and vengeance, into his own hands. It’s a cynical, witty, and surprisingly nihilistic examination of power, morality, and the corrupting influence of absolute freedom, all set against a sweltering, indifferent landscape.
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