La triche [The Cheat] *** (1984, Victor Lanoux, Xavier Deluc, Michel Galabru, Anny Duperey, Valérie Mairesse, Roland Blanche) – Classic Movie Review 13,697

Victor Lanoux stars as a bisexual married police inspector investigating a killing in the Bordeaux docks, who falls in love with a handsome young openly gay musician (Xavier Deluc), one of the murder suspects.

La triche [The Cheat] (1984) is a strange, interesting but very dated/ faded, musty French crime thriller, tackling gay issues in a fascinatingly offbeat, flamboyant way. Director Yannick Bellon is condemning the homophobia of the day as strongly as she was able but it feels sort of like it is feeding into what she is condemning, relishing the old-style tat.

It is kind of florid and operatic, with an unrealistic atmosphere, and totally unconvincing, theatrically staged killings, including a too-pat disappointing conclusion. It is its ideas and attitudes that count, and there are plenty of those, though times have changed so much that it is hard to get fully into the spirit of them. It brings back the nasty stale air of the early Eighties very strongly.

The character motivations are scarcely credible: why would a middle-aged copper fall for a gay boy, and why would the gay boy fall for him? How have the copper and his wife stayed together so long? Why does the homophobic killer villain’s partner love him? It’s all too much, or too little. Do we believe in any of these characters? No, not really. They are movie inventions. But then this is only a movie.

Victor Lanoux stars as bisexual Police Inspector Verta, who is in charge of investigating a well-known gay man’s murder in the docks in Bordeaux. He instantly falls in love with Bernard (Xavier Deluc), a handsome young openly gay musician, who is one of the murder suspects, jeopardising his marriage to the boyish Nathalie (Anny Duperey) and his integrity and impartiality in investigating the case.

The main performances are all excellent, also including Michel Galabru in a double role as contrasting brothers Jean Morane and Sylvain Morane, Roland Blanche as Manuel Garcia, and Valérie Mairesse as Marilyn. Xavier Deluc is very credible in a tricky role as the handsome young openly gay musician. The film belongs to him and Victor Lanoux, who doesn’t seem to do much, but does little really well.

Stars: Victor Lanoux, Anny Duperey, Xavier Deluc, Valérie Mairesse, Michel Galabru, Roland Blanche.

Director: Yannick Bellon.

Writers: Yannick Bellon, Alain Marcel, Rémi Waterhouse.

Marie-Annick Bellon, aka Yannick Bellon, (6 April 1924 – 2 June 2019), was a French film director, editor and screenwriter.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,697

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