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Coup de Torchon

Coup de Torchon

Comedy · Crime · Drama · 1981

A pathetic police chief, humiliated by everyone around him, suddenly wants a clean slate in life, and resorts to drastic means to achieve it.

Movie details

Coup de Torchon

1981 Comedy · Crime · Drama 2h 8m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

A pathetic police chief, humiliated by everyone around him, suddenly wants a clean slate in life, and resorts to drastic means to achieve it.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Coup de Torchon?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Following the disappearance of the glamorous and secretive Evelyne Ducat during a blizzard in the highlands of southern France, the lives of five people inextricably linked to Evelyne are brought together to devastating effect as the local police investigate the case.

Polisse

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Drama · 2011

Paris, France. Fred and his colleagues, members of the BPM, the Police Child Protection Unit, dedicated to pursuing all sorts of offenses committed against the weakest, must endure the scrutiny of Melissa, a photographer commissioned to graphically document the daily routine of the team.

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The Unfaithful Wife

Crime · 1969

A man begins to believe his wife is cheating on him.

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Crime · 1973

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Crime · 1989

When churlish mobster Albert Spica acquires an upscale French restaurant in London, he dines there nightly, effectively scaring off the clientele with his bad manners. His wife, Georgina, is especially disgusted by him, and soon begins an affair with regular guest Michael. Despite their best efforts to keep it secret, Spica learns about their trysts, and he plots a terrible revenge.

Another Man's Poison

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Crime · 1951

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Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Crime · 1956

A newspaper publisher, wanting to prove a point about the insufficiency of circumstantial evidence, talks his possible son-in-law Tom into a hoax in an attempt to expose ineptitude of the city's hard-line district attorney. The plan is to have Tom plant clues leading to his arrest for killing a female nightclub dancer. Once Tom is found guilty, he is to reveal the setup and humiliate the DA.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Bertrand Tavernier

Written by

Jean Aurenche · Bertrand Tavernier

Philippe Noiret

Philippe Noiret

Lucien Cordier

Isabelle Huppert

Isabelle Huppert

Rose Mercaillou

Jean-Pierre Marielle

Jean-Pierre Marielle

Le Peron / Le Peron's twin brother

Stéphane Audran

Stéphane Audran

Huguette Cordier

Eddy Mitchell

Eddy Mitchell

Nono

Guy Marchand

Guy Marchand

Marcel Chavasson

Michel Beaune

Michel Beaune

Vanderbrouck

Court is in session

Put Coup de Torchon on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.