An aged Belmondo plays "out of character" as a lawyer at the bottom, drinking his days away after the suicide of his wife 10 years ago. He lives in the same house as his daughter and her governess but he rarely interacts with them. One evening a shot rings out and a dead body is found in his house. One of a group of his daughter's friends is implicated in the murder. Belmondo decides to defend this person.The plot line is simple - a drunken lawyer whom everyone discounts observes and asks the "right" questions. It is a detective movie, with Belmondo "innocently" talking to his daughter's friends in social settings before the trial. Belmondo sees many things which the police and court officials have overlooked. In the court room all discount the sleeping drunk. During Belmondo's cross-examinations truths come out. As the trial warms-up so too does the cold relationship between Belmondo and his estranged daughter.With such a simple plot it is hard to articulate why I enjoyed this movie other than the excellent acting by almost all involved. It is much better than the somewhat similar movie (The Verdict) starring Paul Newman.

I had seen this movie years ago, when I was a kid, and I remember that I was very impressed by the way Belmondo, who usually played either very charming and light-hearted characters or tough, "Dirty Harry-like" cops, portrayed this alcoholic lawyer forced to get back on the saddle, but I guess I was too young to fully understand the meanings of the story. Well, I just saw this film again last night, and thought it was just brilliant. Belmondo's performance is truly one of his bests, and the supporting cast is quite impressive, with Odette Laure, Cristiana Reali, Georges Geret, Sandrine Kiberlain and Pierre Vernier. Lautner's direction is very atmospheric, the dialogs are subtle and even if the plot can seem a little week at first sight, it's much deeper than it looks. So my rating is 8 out of 10, Belmondo at his best!