The fashionable and affluent in the French Riviera city of Nice now have a baffling new problem: random assassination. While the Mystery Object television show is in town, being shot in a public square, a shocking mystery unfolds at the feet of the irascible, steely Inspector Carella. As general panic mounts and national attention focuses in, someone with a high-powered rifle keeps deftly executing seemingly unconnected people in broad daylight. Ignoring the meddling of his superiors, Carella desperately pushes his team harder, despite some of Nice’s most formidable citizens flatly refusing to talk. Something has to connect the victims, but what could it be?
A hybrid of the giallo and the French policier, Without Apparent Motive (Sans mobile apparent) adapted the novel Ten Plus One by famed American author Evan Hunter (under the pen name Ed McBain), while also featuring several notable Italian cast and crew members. The film’s French leads, Jean-Louis Trintignant (The Great Silence) and Dominique Sanda (The Conformist), are complemented by Italian actors Laura Antonelli (Malicious) and Carla Gravina (Tony Arzenta), and a score by the legendary Ennio Morricone (The Stendhal Syndrome). Director Philippe Labro (The Hunter Will Get You) helms this procedural, set against a gruesome reality contrasted with a lush, stylish city. Vinegar Syndrome Labs is excited to uncover this Euro-thriller for its US disc premiere.
For thoughts on Without Apparent Motive, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:
Video Quality
Without Apparent Motive makes its domestic Blu-Ray debut thanks to Vinegar Syndrome from a studio-supplied master that has been further restored by the label. We have never seen this film before, but we can tell that a lot of care has been put into making it look as lovely as possible. Any potential instances of damage have been cleaned up quite a bit, with very little in the way of serious dirt or scratches making it to the screen. We have seen many films from this era littered with irritating specks and lines, but this picture is in much better shape than most.
The tactile photography, which captures the coarse nature of this era of French cinema, shines in high definition with natural grain permeating the screen, always finely resolved. There is a stark amount of detail present with vital textures on the clothing and within the backgrounds. The new transfer shows off a strong amount of depth and refined detail. Black levels are strong with no issues of black crush or compression artifacts. We did not spot any egregious color temperature fluctuations, as most hues remain consistently saturated. Vinegar Syndrome has made a strong showing with this feature outing.
Audio Quality
The film comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track in the original French that holds up well. This investigation primarily takes place in more urban areas, which creates a din of sound that sneaks through to provide some effective ambient details. All of the various sounds in the mix seem carefully executed so that nothing ever feels unnatural. The dialogue itself comes through clearly without being bulldozed by the sound effects or score. There are intermittent moments of gunshots that may perk up your pulse a bit without becoming a sonic mess. The music establishes the mood without ever wavering in fidelity. This presentation is free of any major hiss or other age-related wear-and-tear. Vinegar Syndrome has ensured that this sounds as strong as possible.
Special Features
- Archival Interview with Director Philippe Labro: A 51-minute conversation with the filmmaker from 2018 in which he discusses the production of the film, the movies that inspired him, real-life tragedies that informed the narrative, the aesthetic of the feature, and much more.
- The Uncredited Rémoleux: A 38-minute piece with film historian Christophe Bier on the prolific career of uncredited actor Jean-Claude Rémoleux. Bier gives importance to this performer while walking us through various clips and pointing out his many contributions to cinema.
Final Thoughts
Without Apparent Motive is a thrilling mystery that finds French icon Jean-Louis Trintignant tumbling down the rabbit hole in an attempt to bring justice and sanity to the city. The film is not reinventing the wheel, but it plays confidently in the genre with a smorgasbord of tense exchanges, visceral set pieces, and compelling developments. If you are a fan of French cinema or crime stories in general, you should have a good time with this one. Vinegar Syndrome has delivered a Blu-Ray set featuring a terrific A/V presentation and a couple of nifty special features. Recommended
Without Apparent Motive is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Vinegar Syndrome has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
