This stupendous film by Bertrand Tavernier is set against the background of the Dreyfus Affair and the workers' struggles which led to the formation of the Confédération Générale du Travail. Under the spotlight here is the abuse of power by institutions and the inequalities of the justice system.

The two leading protagonists are serial rapist and murderer Joseph Bouvier, based upon real life Joseph Vacher and played to the hilt by Michel Calabru whilst judge Fourquet has here become the unscrupulous Rousseau and is personified by the immaculate Philippe Noiret. His character is not, as an earlier reviewer has suggested, based upon forensic doctor Etienne Lacassagne who is here named Degueldre and is played by Yves Robert.

Bouvier and Rousseau could be said to represent both sides of the same coin. Bouvier is undeniably a monster but is clearly insane(or is he?) whilst Rousseau is in full possession of his faculties and is determined to have Bouvier guillotined in order to further his own ambition, even to the point of cleverly gaining Bouvier's trust so as to extract a full confession.

Ambiguity reigns supreme here and who better to play Rousseau than Noiret whose working relationship with Tavernier, numbering nine films, is a marriage made in heaven. Tavernier not only gifted Noiret challenging roles but wisely gave him free rein in performance. It is understandably Michel Calabru's tour de force as Bouvier that earned him a well-deserved César. His is inspired casting for he was mainly known for his appearances in the popular 'Gendarme' series and there was nothing in his cinematic CV that would suggest he was capable of a performance of this magnitude. His tenure throughout the 1950's with the Comédie Francaise undoubtedly stood him in good stead for this demanding role.

Marvellous support from Jean-Claude Brialy, veteran Renée Faure and moving up the ranks, the twenty-one year old Isabelle Huppert who would again work with Tavernier and Noiret in 'Coup de Torchon' and is here just one year away from her iconic role as 'La Dentelliere'.

We owe Tavernier a debt of thanks for having brought legendary writing duo Jean Aurenche and Pierre Bost in from the cold and as one would expect from exponents of 'cinéma de qualité', their script is beautifully crafted, intelligent and trenchant. Tavernier's unerring sense of place and period and his eye for detail are in evidence here whilst his preferred cinematographer Pierre-William Glenn ensures gorgeous rural images. Inspired score by another of Tavernier's regulars Philippe Sarde with the final song based upon revolutionary tunes from the Commune.

The final caption which points out that although Bouvier's unfortunate young victims numbered twelve, no less than twenty thousand children perished in the mines, serves as a stark reminder of how elusive was the concept of 'Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité'.