Bellamy (2009)

So much average

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

First of all, let's make this clear: if you want to get something out of watching "Inspector Bellamy", forget the trailer, the plot description, the supposed genre it belongs to. This is NOT a police thriller or a murder mystery, in fact the mystery itself, what little there is of it, is over and done with before the first hour of this two-hour film is through; there is no suspense or action either. The only way to approach this film is as a slice-of-life character drama. Chabrol directs it with an almost shocking lack of style, and it plays like an overextended episode of an old-fashioned TV series. Chabrolian traces can be located here and there (Bellamy's suspicions that his extremely loving wife may be cheating on him, the fact that we NEVER see the local police inspector that we keep hearing about, the classical music score, etc.), but there are several of his films that you need to see before this one. Gerard Depardieu is adequate as the title character, but Bellamy is not as memorable as another Chabrol Inspector, Lavardin (played by Jean Poiret in two 1980's films). The best performance in the film is given by Marie Bunel as his VERY attractive middle-aged wife and confidant. **1/2 out of 4.

Claude Chabrol, one of the best French directors of the last century, had a glorious career. Sadly, the man that gave movie fans so much pleasure passed away recently. "Bellamy" was his last full length feature which we caught in its commercial release recently at IFC. The last part of this master's career, alas, pales in comparison to the first period when he started directing after a distinguished career as a film critic and historian.In a way, this film cannot be considered one of his best efforts. Mr. Chabrol had never worked with Gerard Depardieu at all, so this film was supposed to be a sort of tribute to the actor, as the main character in the film is modeled in some aspect of the performer, as conceived in the mind of the director. The end result is a film that, while being considered a crime movie, has other elements, not the typical product of a man that made a career out of mystery and suspense.Gerard Depardieu does excellent work for Mr. Chabrol, although with his new acquired girth, he is far from the ideal man to play this inspector on vacation in Southern France. There are interesting appearances by Clovis Cornillac, Jacques Gamblin, and Marie Bunel, who plays Mrs. Bellamy.Edoardo Serra, who had worked with Mr. Chabrol extensively, is the director of photography. Mr. Serra, in a way, makes the film much better than what it is. Matthieu Chabrol's musical score adds character to the production. Claude Chabrol's disappearance from the French cinema will certainly be missed because it is an irreplaceable loss.

Where do I start? I have watched nearly all Depardieu's films over the years along with his compatriot Daniel Auteil. I was so looking forward to watching this but now rather than it joining my collection it has gone in the trash can.What was this giant of an actor (Jean De Florette and 36 Quai Des Orfèvres) doing in such a dull and meandering film? What was it's purpose? Was it a romance - drama? Was it supposed to be a peculiar crime thriller? Was it a last fling from the ancient Claude Chabrol? No, it was none of these, it was downright embarrassing and cringe worthy.Given the fact that Depardieu is not short of a few million Euros - he owns three restaurants in Paris and a few vineyards - one can't say he was doing it for the money. Maybe he's turning into a sado-masochist in his old age and enjoys regurgitating turgid scripts. Whatever, it was one of the the most miserable and clumsiest films ever. Poor lighting, wooden acting - except for the talents of Marie Bunel and the gypsy eyed Vahina Giocante who attempted to bring it to life - give up girls. And then there was the plot. Plot is also a term used for a small piece of land. That's what the film represented, an uncultivated plot with an abundance of weeds.And finally. What was the downright nonsense with the lawyer singing in court? Was that Chabrol trying to ridicule the viewer? Was it some 'in-joke'? Regardless it didn't fit in with the film - unless Chabrol wanted it to be a musical but senility won the day and he forgot what the film was about.I can't close without making an observation on Depardieu's excessive weight. What is he doing to himself? The man is gi-normous! If he doesn't slim soon he won't be making any more films. Get it together Gerard!

I got so bored during the movie that it felt like losing time. So I won't waste more time in talking about it for long. Don't even bother to watch this boring story (if there is one)... Fortunately I had been invited. There's a man, his brother, his wife. A criminal, someone dies. It could have been another story. Right, We've been here before, haven't we? I'm so happy to be out of the theater, I'll now have a good cup of tea, it's midnight, it seems as if my scarce memory of the movie is fading away. Good, I won't have to talk about it anymore... Stay home instead of going to watch this, it's SO useless, really it is Chabrol at his worst. Maybe at some stage it might help to keep some dignity and stop making movies so appalling...