The French have had their own breed of film noir since the 1930s, and, in the 70s and 80s, a trend began of noir-tinged police procedural and related crime films that were dubbed ‘polars’. One of the French directors who first rose to prominence after making one of these films was Claude Miller. The polar that put him on the map was The Inquisitor. This was a commercial hit in France and was nominated for 8 César Awards, winning Best Screenplay and a pair of acting prizes.
Not long after releasing their ‘Hardboiled’ set of thrillers from Alain Corneau, most of which might also fit into the polar genre, Radiance Films are putting out a pair of Miller’s films onto Blu-ray and UHD. These are The Inquisitor and Deadly Circuit.
Having thoroughly enjoyed the ‘Hardboiled’ set, I picked up a copy of The Inquisitor + Deadly Circuit, to see how it compared.
The Inquisitor (a.k.a. The Grilling or Garde à vue)
Director: Claude Miller
Screenplay: Claude Miller, Jean Herman, Michel Audiard
Based on a Novel by: John Wainwright
Starring: Lino Ventura, Michel Serrault, Guy Marchand, Romy Schneider
Country: France
Running Time: 88 min
Year: 1981
To quote Radiance’s synopsis, “In The Inquisitor, cops Gallien (Lino Ventura) and Belmont (Guy Marchand) interrogate Martinaud (Michel Serrault), a wealthy lawyer, for the rape and murder of two young girls. The investigation becomes further complicated when his wife (Romy Schneider) gives her statement…”
The Inquisitor was based on a novel called ‘Brainwash’, by the British author John Wainwright. It was technically a director-for-hire project, as Miller was approached to take on the job rather than instigating it himself. This meant the relatively fresh-faced filmmaker was initially reluctant, seeing himself as more of an ‘auteur’. After reading the novel, however, he believed it was a film he would have sought to make anyway, so he agreed to direct it.
It’s a chamber piece, other than some brief glimpses of crime scenes and flashbacks. As such, The Inquisitor uses minimal locations and cast but, in a similar way to Lumet with Twelve Angry Men, Miller directs the hell out of it, to make a gripping, stylistically impressive film out of what appears to be very little at first glance. He isn’t showing off though, using cool camera shots for the sake of it. Everything serves the film’s story, characters and atmosphere.
On top of Miller’s confident, masterfully controlled direction, the film’s success can also be attributed to its cast. Two powerhouse figures in French cinema, Lino Ventura and Michel Serrault, take the starring roles. Reportedly, they had quite different attitudes towards performing, with Serrault preferring to improvise and mix things up a bit, whilst Ventura was a bit more ‘old school’ in his approach. This clashing of styles works wonders on screen, as the pair face off as the interrogator and the accused.
I enjoyed Guy Marchan as the assisting officer too – he breaks up the tension in spots and almost derails the investigation in a pivotal scene. Romy Schneider isn’t in the film as much as her male co-stars, but she makes an impact as Martinaud’s quietly controlling wife.
I wasn’t 100% sold on the final twist, at least initially. However, the revelations grew on me a little while after finishing the film. It’s certainly a story that lingers.
Overall, I found The Inquisitor to be an intoxicating, elegantly directed, superbly performed, pitch-black crime drama.
Film: 
Deadly Circuit (a.k.a. Mortelle randonnée)
Director: Claude Miller
Screenplay: Michel Audiard, Jacques Audiard, Gérard Sterin, Louis-Charles Sirjacq
Based on a Novel by: Marc Behm
Starring: Michel Serrault, Isabelle Adjani, Guy Marchand, Stéphane Audran, Macha Méril, Geneviève Page, Sami Frey, Dominique Frot, Patrick Bouchitey
Country: France
Running Time: 121 min
Year: 1983
To quote Radiance again (with a couple of added details), “Serrault returns in Deadly Circuit as Beauvoir, a.k.a. ‘The Eye’, a P.I. who becomes obsessed with the target of his investigation, a murderer (Isabelle Adjani) who he follows across Europe as she moves from one victim to another.”
On top of this, Beauvoir is tormented by the fading memory of his long estranged daughter. He carries a school photo in which she appears, but he can’t work out which girl is her. By now, she would be a similar age to Adjani’s identity-switching murderer.
After finding great success with The Inquisitor, Miller says he approached his next project “like a spoiled child”. As such, Deadly Circuit was an extravagant, expensive production, set all around Europe in a number of lavish locations. The shoot was made all the more difficult by a long series of setbacks.
The story was originally conceived as an American film, but Hollywood executives found it too disturbing and strange for a mainstream American thriller. So author Marc Behm instead turned it into a novel, titled ‘The Eye of the Beholder’. This was well received, particularly in France.
The novel caught the eye of Michel Audiard, who adapted it for the screen alongside his son, Jacques Audiard (who would go on to find great success in later years). Michel’s other son, François Audiard, had died a few years prior, and lead actor Serrault had lost a daughter recently too. This adds extra poignancy to the lost daughter aspect of the story.
It’s not all doom and gloom, however, what struck me about Deadly Circuit was how much humour was in it. Black comedy permeates the film from the start, though the final act is a little more serious. This put off some critics and possibly audiences at the time, as Miller did not find the same level of success with his follow-up to The Inquisitor.
Personally, I love the balance of comedy, tragedy and thrills though. It turns the film into a quirkily original treat that feels like a curious blend of The Long Goodbye and Grosse Pointe Blank. It perhaps outstays its welcome a little by the end, running at over two hours and throwing in a twist too many as it reaches its conclusion. I was nonetheless enthralled, for the most part.
As mentioned, the lost daughter aspects add emotional weight on top of the comedy, and there are some interesting themes in play too. Voyeurism is a key topic explored. Our protagonist is even known as ‘The Eye’, and we see everything from his distanced perspective.
The cast is, once again, on fine form. Serrault plays a completely different character here than in The Inquisitor, so much so that it took me a short while to realise it was the same person. Adjani is his co-star. She was a popular and acclaimed star at the time and is perfect in the role, displaying the alluring and mysterious sides of the character with ease. She’s also adept at changing her character’s look and personality as she switches identities at regular intervals.
Overall, Deadly Circuit is an unusual spin on noir, with a wild tale that perhaps gets slightly derailed towards the end. Its blend of black comedy, poignant drama and compelling themes makes for a quirky treat.
Film: 
The Inquisitor + Deadly Circuit is out on 18th August on dual format UHD and region-free Blu-ray (with only The Inquisitor included on UHD), as well as a straight-up Blu-Ray edition, released by Radiance Films. I watched the Blu-ray versions of each film, and the transfers look fantastic, with both films looking richly detailed and textured, with lovely colours and natural grain. I’ve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of how the films look, though these have been compressed. Audio is similarly strong.
4K UHD & BLU-RAY DUAL FORMAT LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES *
– 4K UHD and Blu-ray presentation of The Inquisitor, Blu-ray presentation of Deadly Circuit (3 Discs) *
– 4K UHD Dolby Vision HDR and Blu-ray presentation of The Inquisitor, Blu-ray presentation of Deadly Circuit
– Success Story – a documentary on the making of The Inquisitor (2016, 34 mins)
– Interview with Claude Miller and Michel Audiard discussing the product of the film (1981, 10 mins)
– An appreciation of the film by filmmaker Patrice Leconte (2016, 6 mins)
– Reverse Short [Champ contrechamp] – a TV episode on crime fiction featuring Claude Miller, Michel Serrault, Alain Corneau, Michel Audiard, and others (1981, 52 mins)
– Audio commentary on Deadly Circuit by critic Rachael Nisbet (2025)
– Sacred Circuit – documentary on Deadly Circuit featuring co-screenwriter Jacques Adiard, director of photography Pierre Lhomme and producer Charles Gassot (2016, 34 mins)
– Hypnotic Fascination – an interview with filmmaker Philippe Le Guay (2016, 8 mins)
– Original theatrical trailers
– Newly translated English subtitles for each film
– Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
– Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Adam Scovell and an archival interview with Deadly Circuit producer Charles Gassot
– Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip, leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
* There is also a 2-disc version of the set, which only contains the Blu-ray discs and no UHD.
The longest extra on the Inquisitor disc is an archival 52-minute episode of ‘Reverse Shot’, about French police thrillers, which were rising to prominence at the time the episode was recorded. Miller, Audiard and Serrault are included in this panel discussion, alongside other high-profile filmmakers and a police commissioner. It’s very ‘French’, if I can say that without causing offence, with the group of contributors, cigarettes in hand, philosophising around the subject without always getting very far. However, after a rambling initial 10 minutes, the discussion hits its stride and offers much food for thought.
Also included is a 34-minute documentary about the making of The Inquisitor. This contains interviews with notable figures, including Miller himself and paints a vivid picture of the production.
In another interview, Patrice Leconte discusses The Inquisitor and why he feels it’s an exemplary lesson in directing. It’s a short but strong piece that makes its point with clarity and intelligence.
There’s also an archival interview with Miller and Audiard that runs close to 10 minutes. They talk about the inception of The Inquisitor as well as their approach to the source material. It’s a decent piece.
Rachael Nisbet provides a commentary over Deadly Circuit. This is excellent. She dives into the histories of key cast and crew members, whilst also offering some analysis of the film.
Philippe Le Guay talks about Deadly Circuit in an interview. He offers some analysis, looking at Miller’s dissatisfaction with the film, among other things.
There’s also a 34-minute documentary about Deadly Circuit. This gives an honest and captivating account by most of the major surviving players about the numerous problems that cropped up during the shoot.
I didn’t receive a copy of the booklet to comment on that.
It’s another wonderful set from Radiance, who continue to excite with their lesser-known releases. I can’t wait to see what else they have up their sleeves, going into the future.
Disc/package:
Leave a Reply