Before Nightfall (Juste Avante la Nuit)

Claude Chabrol was often described as the French Hitchcock, not simply because of his preference for making murder mysteries but also for his psychological angle on the genre. The best of his tales of adultery, revenge, and murder are less about solving crimes or catching perpetrators than the psychological and emotional toll on the people left behind, particularly the killers themselves, who are invariably ordinary folks caught up in an extraordinary situation. Just Before Nightfall opens with an affair, a bit of kinky sexual play, and an accidental killing. After dazed businessman and inadvertent murderer Charles (Michel Bouquet) sneaks away from the scene of the crime he runs into best friend François (François Périer)—who happens to be the husband of his dead lover. You'd be hard pressed to describe this 1971 film as a thriller—Chabrol's direction is cool and removed, with little suspense built around the investigation. But it's a fascinating study of guilt and torment: Charles becomes more tortured the longer he avoids punishment or judgment, while François remains loyal (and unknowing) and Charles's wife, Hélène (Stéphane Audran), is adoring and protective. Just Before Nightfall is one of Chabrol's best movies and would be highly recommended but for the poor quality of this DVD, which looks more like an old videotape from the 1970s, plagued by poor fidelity, bad color, and low resolution from an old videotape master with an incorrect aspect ratio. Optional. (S. Axmaker)