The Judge and the Assassin

In late nineteenth-century France, Joseph Bouvier, discharged from the army, wanders the countryside killing children and young people for years. Judge Rousseau takes the case with career rather than justice in mind: whether the man is mad or responsible takes shape according to the verdict that would serve. Bertrand Tavernier wrote it from a real case, that of Joseph Vacher. The real target is not the killer but how law and politics work together, with what was being done to striking workers in the same years constantly visible behind. Michel Galabru plays the killer and, as a performer known until then for comedy, changed his career with it. Philippe Noiret is the judge, with Isabelle Huppert in support. Who it is for: viewers who like French political cinema and true crime adaptation. Who it is not for: anyone who must avoid violence against children.