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Editorial Reviews
Touching, lyrical, erotic, suspenseful and enigmatic, Patrice Leconte s (Girl on the Bridge) 1989 psychological drama Monsieur Hire is both a twisted love story and a tragic thriller (London Sunday Times). In a provincial French apartment block, Monsieur Hire (Michel Blanc) endures a solitary life of dulling work as a tailor and vitriolic scorn from his neighbors. Hire s only solace is an occasional night out bowling and the voyeuristic admiration of his neighbor, the ravishingly erotic (Entertainment Weekly) Alice (Sandrine Bonnaire Vagabond, À Nos Amours), a beautiful, free-spirited woman conducting a heated love affair through un-drawn curtains across the way. But when police discover the nude body of another young woman in a nearby vacant lot, Hire becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation that brings him face to face with the object of his desire even as it threatens to ensnare them both in a web of deceit, accusation, lust, and guilt. Adapted from the book by celebrated Belgian crime novelist Georges Simenon, Monsieur Hire is a film of gorgeously muted widescreen color and funereal beauty (The Washington Post) that coolly unpacks sexual obsession and romantic love with an intelligence and understated intensity so delicate that you almost hold your breath for the last half-hour (Roger Ebert).
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By "mobby_uk"
Format:VHS Tape
I watched Monsieur Hire few years ago, and it has been a while since I've seen it again, but the impact that it has had on me lingers to this day, as one of the most chilling, disturbing drama/thrillers to come from France for a long time.
The film has been compared to Hitchcock, because Monsieur Hire keeps watching his sexy Neighbor, Sandrine Bonnaire from his window, voyeurism ala Rear Window, but I think the comparison is not totally justified.
Monsieur Hire, first and foremost is a character study of a very sad, misunderstood by all and very very lonely man. All the events that follow, up to the climatic ending, which I will not spoil, revolve around Monsieur Hire's character and failings as a human being and in society at large.
His obsession with Bonnaire is quite chilling, yet harmless. It is the love of a man who has closed himself to the world outside, and can only deal with his infatuation the only way he knows. And the sad thing about him, is the fact that his emotions are very transparent and lead to exploitation by some and hostility by many.
The success of the film is due of course to director Patrice Leconte..(he has made many other films, like Hairdresser's Husband, Rue de Plaisir, and Parfum D'Yvonne, but Monsieur Hire is still his best)..Sandrine Bonnaire, in the tradition of French actresses, is very intense and plays her character flawlessly..But all credit should go to Michel Blanc! What a revelation of an actor!!
Many have talked and written about Hoffman or DeNiro's acting methods, but one should really watch actors like Blanc to really appreciate 'method' acting! He is Monsieur Hire and Monsieur Hire is him. He does not play the character but is the character. He does not speak much, but his facial expressions speak volumes. There is a scene that I can never forget to this day. Blanc watching Bonnaire from his flat above. She is doing some ironing, and a thunder lights the dark night to reveal Blanc's face staring chillingly at her, with cold yet twistingly loving expression! What benefits the films as well, is its lenght. It is just over 80 mins, and the great talent of Leconte is to be able in this time to develop the characters, and the story without over analysis or sentimentality.
When the DVD market has been littered with so many unwatchable films along with the good and excellent, it is about time that this film gets its digital release to join the rank of the latter, and be appreciated as one of the most heartbreaking, chilling and sad films ever made.
The film has been compared to Hitchcock, because Monsieur Hire keeps watching his sexy Neighbor, Sandrine Bonnaire from his window, voyeurism ala Rear Window, but I think the comparison is not totally justified.
Monsieur Hire, first and foremost is a character study of a very sad, misunderstood by all and very very lonely man. All the events that follow, up to the climatic ending, which I will not spoil, revolve around Monsieur Hire's character and failings as a human being and in society at large.
His obsession with Bonnaire is quite chilling, yet harmless. It is the love of a man who has closed himself to the world outside, and can only deal with his infatuation the only way he knows. And the sad thing about him, is the fact that his emotions are very transparent and lead to exploitation by some and hostility by many.
The success of the film is due of course to director Patrice Leconte..(he has made many other films, like Hairdresser's Husband, Rue de Plaisir, and Parfum D'Yvonne, but Monsieur Hire is still his best)..Sandrine Bonnaire, in the tradition of French actresses, is very intense and plays her character flawlessly..But all credit should go to Michel Blanc! What a revelation of an actor!!
Many have talked and written about Hoffman or DeNiro's acting methods, but one should really watch actors like Blanc to really appreciate 'method' acting! He is Monsieur Hire and Monsieur Hire is him. He does not play the character but is the character. He does not speak much, but his facial expressions speak volumes. There is a scene that I can never forget to this day. Blanc watching Bonnaire from his flat above. She is doing some ironing, and a thunder lights the dark night to reveal Blanc's face staring chillingly at her, with cold yet twistingly loving expression! What benefits the films as well, is its lenght. It is just over 80 mins, and the great talent of Leconte is to be able in this time to develop the characters, and the story without over analysis or sentimentality.
When the DVD market has been littered with so many unwatchable films along with the good and excellent, it is about time that this film gets its digital release to join the rank of the latter, and be appreciated as one of the most heartbreaking, chilling and sad films ever made.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By rudy
Format:VHS Tape
MONSIEUR HIRE, directed by Patrice LeConte, is a flawless film, wining the French Film Critics' Award for Best Feature of 1990. The story, music, acting are all superb; yet the performance and very presence of Sandrine Bonnaire on the screen are quite extraordinary, establishing Mlle Bonnaire as one of the greatest actresses in film history. She has made 30 films and each one re- establishes her as possibly the greatest living actress. Sadly few of her films are available on video. MONSIEUR HIRE is a must-have video and can introduce the viewer to the incredible depth,range and beauty of Sandrine Bonnaire.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Susan Fong
Format:VHS Tape|Amazon Verified Purchase
Shades of Hitchcock's "Rear Window" permeate this fascinating mystery which explores loneliness and betrayal. There is a surprise ending which I will not reveal but seems logical considering the motives of each character. The acting especially of Michel Blanc is exceptionally good. The story moves at a brisk pace, and you will not be bored. I hope this movie becomes available on DVD soon!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful Erotic Thriller
Being a huge of fan of director Patrice Leconte, MONSIEUR HIRE stands apart as his most intense, moving and erotic film of all. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Blue Leaves
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well made but depressing
After discovering Patrice LeConte by watching "The Girl on the Bridge," I searched out his other work and came up with this. Read more
Published 9 months ago by R. Swanson
2.0 out of 5 stars
A slow-paced thriller
A middle-aged loner tries to blackmail a young woman into loving him, and pays the price. As a detective story, this movie has serious weaknesses, and the pace is slow, but the DVD... Read more
Published 14 months ago by rwx
2.0 out of 5 stars
Stiff, plodding, overwrought from time to time, but basically about as...
*SPOILER ALERT* Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of yak butter. But, I never was much of a fan of Simenon, mostly because his plots tend to make no sense. Read more
Published 21 months ago by e. verrillo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Into the mind of a voyeur
Monsieur Hire is another of many films by French director Patrice Leconte, who has a way of revealing to the viewer the bizarre mind of the protagonist, rather more important than... Read more
Published on August 29, 2010 by Ratso Rizzo
1.0 out of 5 stars
Watching Paint Dry
To qoute Gene Hackman's character in the movie "Night Moves," watching this French movie is like "watching paint dry. Read more
Published on August 1, 2010 by Timothy J. Nugent
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sandrine Bonnaire is beautiful & mysterious
At long last, 'Monsieur Hire' is available in DVD format. What took it so long? For European films fans like me, life is not as easy as it is for Hollywood movies fans. Read more
Published on February 2, 2010 by dovefancier
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another Winner For Leconte
For a reviewer who likes great cinematography, nice colors and a pretty female face, this film offers all of the above for me. Read more
Published on March 20, 2009 by Craig Connell
5.0 out of 5 stars
When You See A Masterpiece You Know It
This is a perfect film, an hour and 17 minutes; not a single shot that could be removed and maintain the same impact. Read more
Published on February 25, 2009 by Daniel G. Lebryk
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Timeless Psychological Thriller
I recently found a copy of Georges Simenon's 1933 "The Engagement" on the remainder table at a local bookstore. Read more
Published on September 29, 2008 by Louis A. Hieb
