A Man’s Neck

Set in the interwar period, the story unfolds in a Paris that balances bohemian nightlife with growing tensions and class anxieties. The atmosphere is thick with smoky cafes, moral ambiguity, and a detectives' relentless pursuit. The era's social gaps provide motive for inheritance schemes and hidden alliances, guiding the crime's motives and twists.

The film largely unfolds around a smoky Montparnasse cafe in Paris, a hub of nightlife where gamblers mingle with risk and desire. The setting evokes interwar Parisian society with its social stratifications and the murky underworld that pulls the strings behind ordinary facades. Versailles appears as the quieter, more genteel backdrop where Heurtin hides at his parents' home, underscoring the contrast between city glamour and rural retreat. The places together form a map of crime preying on wealth and appearance.

🕵️ Crime & Justice

Inspector Maigret's methodical investigation drives the narrative, centering on evidence, deductions, and the slow unmasking of a complex plot. The film explores the tension between a legitimate pursuit of truth and the temptations of shortcut justice. The idea of a 'perfect crime' is interrogated as the detectives edge closer to the mastermind behind the murder. The resolution hinges on careful observation rather than flashy action.

💼 Class & Hypocrisy

Murder is intertwined with inheritance and social pretensions, exposing how wealth and status can corrupt motives and silhouettes. Ferrière's outward bravado hides insecurity and vulnerability, while Radek resents the pretensions of higher society. The case reveals the fragility of appearances in Parisian society and how power dynamics influence trust and suspicion.

💀 Loneliness & Despair

Radek's terminal illness and loneliness drive his fixation on Edna and a hatred of 'pretenders'. The film uses mortality to amplify the coldness of crime and the aloneness of those on the wrong side of the law. The eventual deaths of Radek and Heurtin underscore the tragedy at the heart of the pursuit.