Coup de torchon (1981)'s comments

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_e_

A clever adaptation of a Jim Thompson novel, with the plot being transposed to 1930's French West Africa. It depicts a corrupt and at times brutal society but despite the story being quite dark, (mostly bitter) humour is consistently present throughout the movie. Great acting all around.

10 years 4 months ago

MilenaFlaherty

Noire is fantastic in this.

5 years 4 months ago

Siskoid

To translate Coup de torchon's title into English here, it means giving something a wipe, so the idea of cleaning up... a town (of its evil doers), after one's own crimes, one's soul (well, that's as maybe), one's bottom (open-air latrines do feature)... but as the word "torchon" means "rag", it's not a deep clean. You're just wiping with something that's dirty in and of itself. Bertrand Tavernier sets his adaptation of the psychotic vigilante western Pop.1280 in pre-WWII French-colonized Africa, and casts sympathetic Philippe Noiret as an ineffectual and ambivalent law man in what is essentially a lawless, and atrociously racist, country. After many everyday humiliations, he finally snaps and starts bumping off the filth, his genius is how he covers up his crimes. At once a meditation of morality and a caustically funny satire (just look at the military officer, for example), Coup de torchon also provides a snapshot of French West Africa in the 30s as a greater commentary on colonialism and how evil can only beget evil. Still haven't completely wrapped my head around the film's bookends though.

2 years 4 months ago