La Balance

Similar to The French Connection in both style and content, this 1982 French thriller helmed by American expatriate Bob Swaim stars Nathalie Baye as a young prostitute whom the police are trying to blackmail in order to force her pimp boyfriend (Philippe Léotard, who appeared--incidentally--in French Connection II) to cough up information on his former boss, a notorious and elusive drug dealer named Massina (Maurice Ronet). Given the brutal techniques employed by the cops, it's hard to say whether the law or the criminal element poses a greater threat to Baye and Léotard. Originally released on home video by Fox Home Entertainment in a badly dubbed version, La Balance was re-released in a vastly superior subtitled version in 2001 on the Home Vision label. Now making its debut on DVD, the film boasts a very good transfer and solid mono sound, but no extras beyond a director's filmography and a trailer. Recommended. (R. Pitman)