Serie Noire (1979)

A door to door salesman (Patrick Dewaere) working on commission is struggling to make a living. He drinks excessively, suffers from mood swings and is stuck in an unhappy marriage. When he encounters an underage prostitute (Marie Trintignant) who appears to be mentally challenged, he is smitten. Alas, this encounter will lead to robbery and murder. Based on the novel A HELL OF A WOMAN by Jim Thompson (THE GRIFTERS) and directed by Alain Corneau (POLICE PYTHON 357). Dewaere's character is one of those born losers and you just know that it isn't going to end well for him. As his character's mental state begins to erode and he becomes increasingly unstable and spirals out of control, it becomes unpleasant to sit through. As the film's protagonist, you watch him from a distance, never investing yourself in his breakdown. While I can appreciate Dewaere's commitment to his character, I found him too over the top. So psychotic that you wonder why people don't cut themselves off from him. With Myriam Boyer, Bernard Blier, Andreas Katsulas and Jeanne Herviale.