In 1940s, due to the widespread commercial as well critical success of his thriller films, the undisputed master of French cinema, Henri Georges Clouzot was dubbed "The Gallic Hitchcock" by Anglophone press. However, after his demise, this title was not transferred to any other French director for a long time as nobody had the ability to come closer to the cinematographic vision which Clouzot shared with Hitchcock. By directing "Monsieur Hire", an ambitiously intelligent thriller based on "Les Fiançailles De Monsieur Hire" written by Belgian thriller writer Georges Simenon, Patrice Leconte showed true signs of being considered for this coveted title. "Monsieur Hire" was Leconte's first foray into the world of suspense thriller as his earlier films were all comedies meant to tickle viewers' funny bones in France. One still remembers with avid interest "Les Bronzés" which continues to make French cinema audiences laugh out loud at their own idiosyncrasies. Monsieur Hire is a superb study in alienation where voyeurism makes its presence felt at regular intervals. At this juncture, it needs to be mentioned that in no way does voyeurism preempt the film's main theme which concerns the price one pays for unrequited love. The character of "Monsieur Hire" undergoes numerous changes as in the past it was depicted in a completely different manner to suit tastes of a bygone era. This is one reason why there is a huge difference between a bearded "Monsieur Hire" as portrayed by one of French cinema's greatest actors-Michel Simon in "Panique" (1946) directed by Julien Duvivier as opposed to a bald "Monsieur Hire" as represented by Michel Blanc in this film.