"Cat And Mouse" runs a little too long at about 103 minutes, and the murder mystery at its center is not exceptionally gripping, yet it has a lot going for it: some exciting camera-work (especially in a wild car ride from Paris to the countryside and back), an engagingly idiosyncratic central character (played by Serge Reggiani), lots of subtle humor, and a solution to all the mysteries that is simple, logical, unexpected, and very French. The narrative frequently moves back and forth in time and place, so the film does require the viewer's undivided attention; Claude Lelouch is not a "genre" director / writer, so this is not a typical "genre" film by any means. *** out of 4.

Despite a bulging CV - he is currently filming his 49th film - Claude Lelouch is regarded in some quarters as a one-trick pony who offers his public the same chocolate box time and again with only the wrapping slightly changed. It is perhaps unfortunate that his Un Homme et une femme caught the public mood so significantly forty years ago that they have been subconsciously urging him to eclipse it, a task that has proved impossible. Nevertheless I would argue that he has turned out some interesting and entertaining movies over the years and this is certainly amongst them. Back in 1975 this film had something Great going for it; it marked the return to the screen of an icon of French cinema, Michele Morgan after an eight-year lay-off so that theoretically it could have been the worst French film since Breathless and it would still have had them beating a path to the box office. It wasn't, of course, worse than Breathless but then what is, except perhaps Mr Bean, it was, in fact, a highly entertaining divertissement in the shape of a thriller that posed the question was millionaire Jean-Pierre Aumont pushed or did he fall and if he WAS pushed who did it, his wife, Michele Morgan, the obvious suspect or a third party. That's for Serge Reggiani - playing the applicably named Lechat - to discover with the help, or hindrance, of his sidekick Philippe Leotard - and French movie buffs will be delighted to get a glimpse of Vernon Dobtcheff in there as well. Not unnaturally Reggiani is attracted to Morgan which throws in an extra dimension and Lelouch also manages to indulge his love of fast cars in a sequence where Reggiani and Leotard attempt to 'time' a journey from Paris to the provinces and for the most part the camera is mounted in the driver's seat. In short this is a great example of Lelouch's earlier work.

A rich bourgeois has died:is it suicide or murder?As he cheated on his wife ,and was about to divorce from her,the lady (Michèle Morgan) is the main suspect.Claude Lelouch,who is ,at least to my eyes, a minor French director ,is at his best when he tries his hand at light thrillers or comedies ."Le Chat et la Souris" recalls "le Voyou" ,with its construction which looks like a puzzle ,its screenplay "à Tiroirs" and even the movie in the movie trick .Lelouch really plays cat and mouse with the audience as Detective Lechat (sic)(Regggiani) does with his still attractive suspect (or is it the other way about?).There are plenty of funny scenes and some witty lines ("you see this distinguished lady riding a motorbike?");and the nail in the Rum Baba in the chic restaurant is a good idea to provide the detective with the final clue (so to speak,for "nail" is "clou" in French).Objections: there are not enough scenes where Reggiani and Morgan are together ,and the scenes of the detective's private life (and his assistant's ,played by Philippe Leotard)get in the way.This film accounts for the difference between Lelouch's world and ,say ,Chabrol's. The latter ,in his best works ,ferociously attacks the bourgeoisie.Lelouch,on the other hand ,makes sure the bourgeois moral is intact.Thou shalt not covet other people's possession.

I found a copy of this film, released on video in 1981. The film has not been re-issued on any other format. The film should be restored, with a director commentary. The film has one of the most clever plots ever to be displayed on film. I certainly do not want to spoil the plot for any interested viewer, so I will say little in the plot. The scene where the detectives are trying to time driving from Paris to the countryside is a gem. Brialy and Aumount are at their best. This film is just as enjoyable as another Lelouch film "Robert et Robert" which is also very hard to find, but still out there. Hopefully criterion or anchor bay will restore these classics and make them available for future movie going generations.