Thierry Lhermite

(On TV, October 2021) There’s something perverse and reprehensible in the idea of making a good-natured film like Les Ripoux in which we’re asked to side with corrupt policemen—and not the kind of “I kill suspects for justice” corrupt American policemen, but the kind of penny-ante bribes-and-shakedown from neighbourhood hoods and shopkeepers, all speciously justified by a theory that everything’s illegal anyway. It’s even worse in that much of the film is about corrupting the righteous, as a young idealistic policeman with a bright future is gradually weakened by his mentor in crime, then goes on to outdo his teacher. But a few things ensure that we still have a good time. For one thing, the film stars two of the most effortlessly watchable actors of French cinema—Philippe Noiret as the elder statesman of graft, and Thierry Lhermite as the ever-eager scholar. Some swift and efficient characterization works wonders in aligning us with them, even as their behaviour is completely reprehensible. The tone is resolutely aligned with dark comedy, and the bigger villains of the film are drug dealers who had it coming anyway. Sure, there’s a long essay to write about how movies such as Les Ripoux normalize bad policing, corrode confidence in law enforcement, gum the efficient working of the free market and certainly end up making victims along the way. You’d expect such a storyline to be more appropriate for a poorer country where corruption is rampant… but it’s more shocking and funnier when set in Paris. A solid script, pungently telling details and an ultra-cynical look at police work still make this film a distinctive pick even in the hallmarks of dark crime comedy. Les Ripoux works almost against all odds.