The Cold War is raging and Vienna has turned into a nest of spies, although many of the spies would describe themselves simply as people buying and selling little scraps of information. The French, who run their own Viennese network(s), fear that someone somewhere has either been betrayed or turned traitor of his own volition. A French secret agent known for his problem solving skills is supposed to investigate...
Watching "Avec la peau des autres" is like participating in a tourist tour through a major city, arranged by a respectable and competent travel agency. As a member of the group, you'll be sure to visit a number of celebrated monuments or places of historic interest ; you'll also be sure to catch a nice concert and to get a liberal dose of "couleur locale". Moreover, you'll be sure to eat an excellent chicken dish in a restaurant reputed for its excellent chicken dishes, and to eat an excellent pastry in a café known for its excellent pastries. On the other hand this won't be the best way in which to discover something original, something unique or something unexpected.
"Avec la peau" is probably best described as workmanlike : it is capable, it makes sense and it gets the job done. And yes, there is a great deal of couleur locale... However, it is not a great movie. It lacks something - perhaps an extra layer of threat, suspense, irony, ambiguity ? Or perhaps some Agatha Christie-like legerdemain with clues and red herrings would have helped.
The great Lino Ventura, an actor of considerable charisma and talent, tries his best but is let down by the average quality of the material. Still, he's one of the main arguments in favour of watching the movie.
Watching "Avec la peau des autres" is like participating in a tourist tour through a major city, arranged by a respectable and competent travel agency. As a member of the group, you'll be sure to visit a number of celebrated monuments or places of historic interest ; you'll also be sure to catch a nice concert and to get a liberal dose of "couleur locale". Moreover, you'll be sure to eat an excellent chicken dish in a restaurant reputed for its excellent chicken dishes, and to eat an excellent pastry in a café known for its excellent pastries. On the other hand this won't be the best way in which to discover something original, something unique or something unexpected.
"Avec la peau" is probably best described as workmanlike : it is capable, it makes sense and it gets the job done. And yes, there is a great deal of couleur locale... However, it is not a great movie. It lacks something - perhaps an extra layer of threat, suspense, irony, ambiguity ? Or perhaps some Agatha Christie-like legerdemain with clues and red herrings would have helped.
The great Lino Ventura, an actor of considerable charisma and talent, tries his best but is let down by the average quality of the material. Still, he's one of the main arguments in favour of watching the movie.