Flic Story (Blu-ray Review)
Director
Jacques DerayRelease Date(s)
1975 (October 20, 2026)Studio(s)
Adel Productions/Lira Films/Mondial Televisione Film (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: A-
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B
Review
Not to be confused with Jean-Pierre Melville’s Un Flic (1972), also starring Alain Delon, or with Delon’s Cops Is Cops (also 1972), directed by Georges Lautner, released in some markets (including the United Kingdom) as Flic Story. This Flic Story (“Cop Story”), again with Delon, is a 1975 release, and directed by Jacques Deray. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way...
An historical crime thriller based on a true story, Flic Story stars Alain Delon as real-life Sûreté Nationale detective Roger Borniche’s three-year manhunt for Émile “Mimile” Buisson (Jean-Louis Trintignant), France’s Public Enemy No. 1, following his escape from a psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane, and for hundreds of daring daytime robberies and the murder of at least 36 people.
The movie contrasts the old-school methods of sadistic Det. Lucien Darros (Denis Manuel), happy to beat a confession out of his suspects, with Borniche, whose style is more intellectual and psychological, manipulating captured gang members and informants, sometimes no less threatening in their own way.
Delon is good but the chameleon-like Trintignant is superb. Here, his face is like a mask, immobile and circumspect, only very rarely expressing the slightest suggestion of amusement. He shows no hesitation at all in brutally shooting to death any witness to his crimes, anyone he suspects of betrayal (getting at least one wrong over the course of the picture). It’s a sharp contrast to, say, Joe Pesci’s garrulous madman from Goodfellas, Trintignant acting almost entirely with his eyes and carefully-considered, deliberate movements of his body. The effect is unnerving; it’s one of the most authentic portrayals of a sociopathic criminal I’ve seen.
The look, style, and pacing of the film has been likened to Melville’s work, more of a compliment than a suggestion of imitation. Director Jacques Deray had long proven himself a master of the genre in films like La Piscine (1969), Borsalino (1970), and The Outside Man (1972). Particularly impressive here is his attention to period detail and the mood it generates. Many such French films from this time are overly casual and often inauthentic in their details, but Flic Story feels just right in its mid-’40s through early ’50s settings. Everything looks functional and ordinary rather than glamorized with anachronistic elements, the usual result. Further, good locations are chosen to enhance this illusion.
Though almost a two-character piece, the fine supporting cast helps, including Claudine Auger (Thunderball) as Borniche’s girlfriend, Catherine, who plays a critical role in the climax; prolific great character actor Paul Crauchet (Army of Shadows) as one of Buisson’s longtime partners; and Jacques Marin (Charade) as the owner of the inn where the climax takes place. Together, with Deray’s direction, keeps the film interesting at all times and frequently generates considerable suspense.
A French-Italian co-production partly produced by Delon’s company, Flic Story seems to accurately present Borniche’s story, adapted from his same-named memoirs. Borniche himself nearly outlived Delon. Though already with the Sûreté while Delon was still a teenager, Borniche lived to the ripe old age of 101, dying as recently as 2020.
Kino’s Lorber’s Blu-ray, from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, is generally excellent, though it leans a bit too much toward green, i.e., whites tend to have a slightly green hue, more noticeable in the first 30 minutes of the film. Otherwise, the 1.66:1 widescreen image boasts excellent detail. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono is fine, as are the optional English subtitles. The disc itself is Region “A” encoded.
Extras consist of a trailer, an audio commentary track by Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson; and A Eurocrime Procedural, a video essay by Will Webb.
An excellent film, with its Melville-like stylings one hopes it will draw fans of that director, who in turn will be eager to sample other Deray titles. Highly Recommended.
- Stuart Galbraith IV