Fabio Montale

Alain Delon, erstwhile matinee idol to an entire generation of French moviegoers, plays a grizzled, disillusioned police detective in a trio of feature-length mysteries based on the bestselling novels of Jean-Claude Izzo, produced for French television in 2002. Inspector Montale knows Marseille like the back of his hand, and the city's seediest characters know Montale just as well. A man with a checkered past, Montale is a target for street gangs, mobsters, corrupt cops, and grafting politicians. In “Total Chaos,” he tries to avenge the murders of two childhood friends. “Chourmo” finds him investigating the death of his teenage nephew. And in “Solea,” the search for a missing reporter pits him against both organized crime and high-powered financiers. Weary of his job, Montale nonetheless struggles doggedly against the odds. Fortunately, he has one big advantage: he's willing to break all the rules. No formulaic exercise in genre storytelling, the Fabio Montale films are driven by character, not plot machinations or noir-ish atmospherics. Delon may be the only player who's likely to be recognizable to American audiences, but he's absolutely terrific in the role. Recommended. (E. Hulse)