With veteran actors who were already stars (one an Oscar winner) and some less known internationally younger actors, this Costas Gavras film is a necessity for film students and lovers of the fine art that motion pictures on occasion can be. The murder of a young woman in a sleeping car leads to interviews with suspects and possible witnesses, and more murders occur along the way. Yves Montand heads up the investigation, and certainly has his hands full.
Not only is the direction top notch, but the cinematography, too, utilizing many unique angles to allow the story to unfold. Simone Signoret is moving as an aging actress having an affair with a younger man, and her big segment is one of the highlights, followed by a surprising twist. Her real life daughter, Catherine Allégret, is the female lead, playing a young secretary unaware that her drifer lover (Jacques Perrin) is the main suspect. A very adult, sophisticated who done it, with lots of surprises!
Not only is the direction top notch, but the cinematography, too, utilizing many unique angles to allow the story to unfold. Simone Signoret is moving as an aging actress having an affair with a younger man, and her big segment is one of the highlights, followed by a surprising twist. Her real life daughter, Catherine Allégret, is the female lead, playing a young secretary unaware that her drifer lover (Jacques Perrin) is the main suspect. A very adult, sophisticated who done it, with lots of surprises!