Jigsaw (1979 film)


Jigsaw is a 1979 Canadian-French drama film directed by Claude Pinoteau and starring Lino Ventura and Angie Dickinson.
Ventura later said of the film, "The story had problems. They were not worked out. It is easy to say, the story is everything, it must be good. But then you ask, 'What is a good story?' and I must say to you, that is one of the mysteries of the cinema."

Plot

Romain Dupré, a retired and widowed French commercial pilot, arrives in Montreal from Paris. He has been summoned to identify the body of his estranged son, Julien, who was killed in a police shootout. But the body Dupré is presented with at the morgue is not of his son. The dead man, who was in possession of Julien's passport, is eventually identified as Luigi Lentini, a wanted criminal. Police superintendent MacKenzie informs Dupré that his son has overstayed his visa, and suggests he may have sold his passport for money.
Realising that Julien is probably in trouble and possibly in danger, Dupré embarks on a search for his son. On his way, he meets Karen, a beautiful and voluble ex-convict...

Cast

L'Homme en colère was Pinoteau's fourth film, and the third starring Lino Ventura. It was shot in Montreal and the Laurentian Mountains. It remains as the only film in which Lino Ventura, a man known for his moral values and who had been married for more than 35 years, ever kissed a woman on the mouth. According to director Claude Pinoteau, "It was like asking him to perform some frighteningly dangerous stunt".

Reception

In Le Monde, Jean de Baroncelli praised Pinoteau for his direction, stating that the film "intrigues, captivates", but described the father-son relationship as "unconvincing".