DEUX FLICS SUR LES DOCKS/BLOOD ON THE DOCKS: LA NUIT DU NAUFRAGE (FRANCE 2)

Based on the Joe Faraday novels by English crime fiction writer Graham Hurley, the excellent French crime drama Deux flics sur les docks (Blood on the Docks) came back this week on pubcaster France 2 for a third series of two feature-length episodes. 

« Je te dépose où?
- Comme avant. À côté d'un cadavre. »

In La nuit du naufrage, an adaptation of the book Deadlight, Capitaine Paul Winckler (Bruno Solo) is discharged from the hospital after his surgery and should be on sick leave. « Allez, fais-moi rêver. Je veux du macchabée, je suis en manque. » Instead he follows Capitaine Richard Faraday (Jean-Marc Barr) on the case of a skeleton discovered in the shipwreck of L'Accolade, a trawler sunk in a storm four years ago. This skeleton belongs to one of its crew members presumed swept away by a wave. Later, the Ukrainian security guard of a fish factory is found murdered at home with a baseball bat.

« Alors, Lulu. Toujours au chômage?
- Oui, mais c'est provisoire.
- C'est la vie qui est provisoire.
- Alors à la vie. »

Once again, Deux flics sur les docks successfully takes the atmosphere of Graham Hurley's Portsmouth-based DI Faraday novels to the Haute-Normandie port town of Le Havre. La nuit du naufrage is adapted by Olivier Prieur & Bernard Marié and written by Olivier Prieur. Bruno Solo brings his customary brilliance to the ever fatalistic and desperately cynical Winckler. Jean-Marc Barr's subtle portrayal of the empathic Faraday is given occasions to shine under the cliffs of Aquacaux.  

« Je crois que Winckler est sur le coup.
- Jusqu'à nouvel ordre Winckler est sur le coup des indemnités journalières de la sécurité sociale, Fabian. »

Liza Manili is back as Lieutenant Julie Fabian. Mata Gabin plays Lucie Dardenne, Guillaume Viry is police computer expert "Bill Gates" and Jean-Marie Hallégot is Faraday's deaf-mute son Lulu (« Alors Bernardo. On veut rêgler le sort du tireur fou à la place de Zorro? »). Emmanuel Salinger returns as local entrepreneur and mobster Bazza Swaty in a short but nice scene about Bazza's friendship with Paul. The guest cast is perfect, as usual, with a special mention to Thierry Samitier (Nos chers voisins) as Jacques Kilian and Jean-Pierre Becker as Bernard Le Saoult.

Blood on the Docks is produced by Gétévé (Zodiak France) and France Télévisions in association with B Media 2012 - Backup Media, with the support of Région Haute-Normandie. It is distributed by Zodiak Rights (The Returned, Being Human). Jacques Salles and Christian Charret are the producers. Muriel Paradis exec produces. Philippe Miller is the composer. Directed by Edwin Baily, the superb Deadlight caught 3.777.000 viewers (15.4 %) and the third place against NCIS on M6 and the French version of MasterChef on TF1.

Deux flics sur les docks/Blood on the Docks is shown in the US on MHz Worldview. Next friday France 2 will air Coups sur coups, adapted from The Take.

http://www.grahamhurley.co.uk/
http://www.citeartistes.com/deux-flics-sur-les-docks.htm
http://www.paris-normandie.fr/article/le-havre/telefilm-%C2%AB-deux-flics-%C2%BB-au-havre-le-retour
http://www.aquacaux.fr//Association.html
http://www.ozap.com/actu/audiences-tf1-m6-et-france-2-dans-un-mouchoir-de-poche-w9-et-gulli-en-forme/450488 (Ratings)

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2012/11/more-blood-on-docks.html
http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2011/11/blood-on-docks-deux-flics-sur-les-docks.html