I suppose when I rate this movie more highly than many other people it's because I haven't had enough exposure to Claude Chabrol. For me this falls under the category "French movie," not "Chabrol movie." So those who are less discriminating may like the movie as much as my wife and I did.European movies are better than American to the extent that they show ordinary people's lives lived at any ordinary pace. They're worse when they indulge in incomprehensible or surrealistic profundities. "Bellamy" teeters on the edge of the latter now and then, but gives us many pleasures of the first kind. It's a murder mystery, sort of, but more of the "what happened?" than the "who did it?" variety. In addition, it's a view into the life of Inspector Bellamy and the people in his life. His relationship with his wife is simple but enviable (perhaps improbably so). Marie Bunel is perfect as the wife.The film does have some irritating attempts at profundity, but they are not too distracting. It's more distracting wondering how Gerard Depardieu, the Inspector, can have a brother played by an actor 20 years younger that he supposedly grew up with.

Claude Chabrol (24 June 1930 - 12 September 2010) was one of the French mainstream New Wave film directors, celebrated for his suspense thrillers. BELLAMY is his last film and as such will probably remain one of his more fascinating. he was able to take what appeared on the surface to be rather mundane characters and story threads and twist them and turn them into fascinating tales. This trait is very evident in the mesmerizing, seemingly off the cuff film BELLAMY which holds our attention in a friendly conversational kind of way and then turns the tables at the end, leaving the viewer with the question 'why didn't I see that coming?' Famous Parisian Inspector Paul Bellamy (Gérard Depardieu) and his wife Françoise (Marie Bunel) are enjoying their vacation in Françoise's childhood home in Nîmes, France when they notice a stalker. The stalker calls Bellamy to meet him: Noël Gentil (Jacques Gambin) confesses a murder he has committed and for some reason captures the attention of Bellamy. The 'murder' is an insurance scheme in which Noël staged his own death using a proxy in order to get his wife's life insurance money allowing him to run away with his girlfriend Nadia Sancho (Vahina Giocante). 'Noël Gentil' is actually Emile Leullet married to Madame Leullet (Adrienne Pauly) but after the staged car-over-the-cliff accident, a car supposedly containing a street person Denis Leprince - also played by Gambin, the scam is squelched by the insurance company's investigation. Bellamy covers every lead into this strange situation and it ends with a surprise death that alters the entire scam. Meanwhile Bellamy's restless and resentful brother Jacques (Clovis Cornillac), an ex-con who still manages to steal from friends and puts the blame on his brother, visits Bellamy and his wife, and causes disruptions in their personal life as well as bringing Bellamy to a point of facing secrets about his childhood he has hidden from the world, secrets about his brother that are resolved in a very bizarre manner. All of these facts are ingredients for a thriller of a movie, but Chabrol's technique is to treat the harsh realities of the story as mere chatty conversations. All is not as it seems and behind every thread of this episodically related story are other stories that need the viewer's concentration to resolve. The cast is strong and the jewel of the film is the performance by Marie Bunel as the loving, affectionate, older wife. She glows. It is sad that Claude Chabrol is gone, but his fine movies are a legacy that makes him immortal. Grady Harp

Where do I start? I have watched nearly all Depardieu's films over the years along with his compatriot Daniel Auteil. I was so looking forward to watching this but now rather than it joining my collection it has gone in the trash can.What was this giant of an actor (Jean De Florette and 36 Quai Des Orfèvres) doing in such a dull and meandering film? What was it's purpose? Was it a romance - drama? Was it supposed to be a peculiar crime thriller? Was it a last fling from the ancient Claude Chabrol? No, it was none of these, it was downright embarrassing and cringe worthy.Given the fact that Depardieu is not short of a few million Euros - he owns three restaurants in Paris and a few vineyards - one can't say he was doing it for the money. Maybe he's turning into a sado-masochist in his old age and enjoys regurgitating turgid scripts. Whatever, it was one of the the most miserable and clumsiest films ever. Poor lighting, wooden acting - except for the talents of Marie Bunel and the gypsy eyed Vahina Giocante who attempted to bring it to life - give up girls. And then there was the plot. Plot is also a term used for a small piece of land. That's what the film represented, an uncultivated plot with an abundance of weeds.And finally. What was the downright nonsense with the lawyer singing in court? Was that Chabrol trying to ridicule the viewer? Was it some 'in-joke'? Regardless it didn't fit in with the film - unless Chabrol wanted it to be a musical but senility won the day and he forgot what the film was about.I can't close without making an observation on Depardieu's excessive weight. What is he doing to himself? The man is gi-normous! If he doesn't slim soon he won't be making any more films. Get it together Gerard!

Having taken an unplanned breather from my ongoing Chabrol marathon, I ended up missing out on the very birthday I was celebrating! Anyway, I promptly reprised the schedule via his most recent offering – which, though it seems to have slipped pretty much under everybody's radar, emerges a decidedly solid effort.Amazingly, the director and the film's leading man – Gerard Depardieu, one of France's top stars for the last 35 years – had never worked together and, while the result does not particularly tax either of their talents, the thoroughly professional (but, at the same time, relaxed) contribution of both here attests to their longevity. Incidentally, I last watched this actor not too long ago in similar (albeit period) guise in DARK PORTALS: THE CHRONICLES OF VIDOCQ (2001), where the exploits of that real-life detective had received distinctly fanciful treatment.In fact, here Depardieu (looking incredibly puffy if still charismatic) is an eminent Police Inspector on vacation who is approached by a strange man confessing his responsibility in the demise of another whose charred body was discovered on a nearby beach in the film's opening scene. As the titular figure burrows into the case, he realizes not only that the identity of both killer and victim were fake but also that they are one and the same! Having become involved with a much younger woman, the man had intended disappearing (and eventually change facial features, which he does!) to throw his wife off the scent. However, the patsy selected for this ruse proves to be a tramp with a death-wish – so that it turns out the would-be killer is actually innocent of his own admitted crime!!The situation, then, is resolved in a most surprising trial sequence – with the Prosecuting Attorney assuming, at Depardieu's instigation, the role of Defense Counsel as well and providing his definitive statement in song! To complicate matters for Bellamy even further, his ne'er-do-well half-brother – with whom he shares a love/hate relationship – comes to visit and, at the end, perishes in much the same mysterious way as the subject of his latest investigation!As can be surmised from my comments, the film is essentially a lightweight, old-fashioned affair (barring a few swift transitions in the modern manner) but polished and entertaining enough to reap considerable rewards for movie connoisseurs of most persuasions.