‘Monsieur Hire’ Blu-Ray Review – A Simmering French Thriller Which Rewards Greatly

Adapted from the book by Georges Simenon, Monsieur Hire is a film of gorgeously muted widescreen color and “funereal beauty” (The Washington Post) that coolly unpacks sexual obsession and romantic love with intelligence and understated intensity. A young girl is brutally murdered. The prime suspect is a cold and reclusive man who is obsessed with his beautiful neighbor. He spends his nights watching her through his window, but when she discovers that she is being spied on, she becomes the aggressor in an erotically charged relationship that leads to a deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

For thoughts on Monsieur Hire, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/tZ_w9yoCx1s?t=647]

Video Quality

Monsieur Hire arrives on Blu-Ray with a new digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 2.40:1 derived from a 4K restoration conducted in 2020 by Pathé. The new restoration looks gorgeous and really brings out the intended nuances of the picture. Any minor specks of print damage seems to have been eradicated with a consistently clear picture. The production design really shows a penchant for considered detail that this transfer is able to put on display without fault. You can make out so many elements even in more shadowy environments.

Black levels hold up well with very little in the way of crush on intrusive digital noise. The color palette of the feature skews cooler by design. Due to this, colors can seem to struggle with saturation, but it all stays in line with the intended appearance. There are still colors that make an impression in elements of the clothing and production design. Skin tones are a bit pale with distinct facial features easily noticeable in closeup. This new presentation is a very pleasant experience. The Cohen Film Collection has knocked it out of the park. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with an effective DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in the original French with forced English subtitles. Environmental sounds such as noises from a thunderstorm are rendered well alongside everything else. There never seems to be any substantial instances of age-related wear and tear. Dialogue comes through clearly in the main channel without being overshadowed by competing sounds. The track brings harmony to all competing elements so that nothing gets lost in the mix. The score from Michael Nyman sounds very inviting throughout the duration of the film, as it settles you into the mysterious nature of the narrative. This audio presentation does everything that is asked of it. 

Special Features

• Audio Commentary: Wade Major, producer/host of the DigiGods podcast, film critic for CineGods.com and KPCC FilmWeek, provides an interesting commentary track in which he discusses the work of Patrice Leconte, the different adaptations of this story, the release history of the film, the Hitchcockian style of the narrative, the style and intrigue and more. 

• Interview with Director Patrice Leconte and Star Sandrine Bonnaire: A 39-minute interview with the director in which he discusses his motivation for tackling this story, the process of adapting the material to film, deciding on performers to inhabit these characters, the sensuality of the text and more. Throughout this piece, the lead actress also discusses her experiences performing in this film, the direction she got for her character, the moments that stick out in her mind, the balancing act of emotions she had to play and more. These two interviews together are very worthwhile. 

• Trailer: The minute-long trailer is provided for the film. 

Final Thoughts

Monsieur Hire is a really terrific character-centric dramatic thriller which unfolds in very satisfying ways. The twists and turns throughout the narrative are not what the emotional impact of the narrative hinges on, instead it is woven into the identity of the feature in a way that appears to be a juicy bonus. The performances are perfectly tuned to get to the nuances of each character. This is an exceptional piece of French filmmaking. Cohen Media Group and Kino Classics have delivered a Blu-Ray with a great A/V presentation and some great special features. If you are interested in international cinema or Hitchcockian thrillers, this is well worth a viewing. Recommended 

Monsieur Hire is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.