England has at least two classic detectives: the Belgian Hercules Poirot, from the imagination of Agatha Christie, and Sherlock Holmes, from Arthur Conan Doyle, but France has Jules Maigret, thanks to the writer Georges Simenon. Character of 80 novels, several films, and series, the latest version brings Gerard Depardieu in the role of the brilliant detective, in the film Maigret.

Directed by Patrice Leconte, Maigret presents a more restricted and less common side of Depardieu, more silent and observant, haggard, cynical, and sad. Directed by Patrice Leconte, the famous French actor portrays a dejected Maigret in a poor and difficult Paris of the 1950s, where the murder of a sad and lonely girl in a rented designer dress awakens in Maigret the obsession to identify her. and find the reason for his murder. The commissioner has compassion for victims and criminals, he doesn’t miss a detail but doesn’t draw attention. The crime may even seem ‘perfect’, but it is the commissioner’s obsession that elucidates the reason for the unknown young woman’s death.

While all detectives often operate on the principle of what evidence, Maigret goes further. He has the puzzle in his mind and doesn’t share it with anyone until completion. Maigret was an immediate success, even in the 1930s. Depardieu’s interpretation takes the detective to a new level. The film is slow and dark and the “surprise” does not surprise anyone, it keeps the sadness more than the suspense, staying with us longer. It may just be the first of several (in American cinema it would be) films, but it is a landmark. I don’t share the spoilers because they are kind of obvious. For those who missed it at the cinema, it’s worth renting. It a well portrayed as a classic.