Following the success of a mystery/comedy TV movie aired on pubcaster France 2 in 2019, Le crime lui va si bien returned this month as a series for two feature-length episodes: Un caveau pour deux (January 8th) and Esprit es-tu là? (January 15th).
The bottom line: Le crime lui va toujours si bien.
Based on an idea by producer/writer Jean-Pierre Alessandri, Le crime lui va si bien was created by Olga Vincent (Envers et contre tous, Disparus) and crime drama expert Stéphane Kaminka (Au-delà des apparences, Malaterra). Both wrote the original TV film, helmed by Stéphane Kappes (La stagiaire, Tropiques criminels). It stars Claudia Tagbo as Gaby Molina, an intuitive and tenacious police captain who sells truffles and rents guest rooms to keep the farm inherited from her grandparents.
Although Claudia Tagbo is best known for stand-up comedy and her participation to TF1's entertainment programme Vendredi tout est permis, this versatile Franco-Ivorian actress and humorist is no stranger to crime fiction. She played Lieutenant Martine Forest in RIS police scientifique (2006-2014), the French adaptation of RIS: Delitti imperfetti (2005-2009). The excellent Hélène Seuzaret (Le pont des oubliés, Das Boot) co-stars as Lieutenant Céline Richer, the by-the-book partner and tenant of Captain Molina.
Bruno Lochet, great as always, plays Gaby's informer Anton Vargas. Laurent Manzoni is very good as Commissaire Félix Fontan, the depressive boss of the duo. Julien Ratel is irresistible as Darget, the lunar police officer. The TV movie won the Grand Prix of the French-speaking TV movie 2019 at the Cognac Polar Festival and caught 4.32m viewers (20.6%) on France 2 in December 2019 (1). Directed by Stéphane Kappes, the sparkling Un caveau pour deux was penned by Olga Vincent with novelist and scriptwriter Mikaël Ollivier (Three Blind Mice).
Captain Gaby Molina joins Anton Vargas at the funeral of his friend Maxime Morizot, a tree surgeon who committed suicide, when the mortician finds another body in the family vault. It's that of Pauline Duteuil, a young woman who worked for the aristocratic d'Abricourt family. The investigation is complicated by the suspension of Gaby's driver license and the hostility of Aymeric d'Abricourt. Brigitte, Céline's mother, arrives at the farm with a young man named Xavier. Fontan worries about the visit of the préfet to the police station and he's submerged by his marital problems (as usual).
In the very pleasant movie, Claudia Tagbo was a Columbo of the French countryside with a cap, a scarf and an old Volvo. Un caveau pour deux is closer to the Agatha Raisin TV series and some comedies of Claude Zidi. The talented Brigitte Aubry plays Brigitte. The gendarme is played by Julien Barbier. Also with Gabrielle Atger (Irène d'Abricourt), Philippe Dusseau (Aymeric d'Abricourt), Adrien Velimirovic (Guillaume d'Abricourt), Sébastien Boissavit (Driving instructor), Yasmin Bau (Xavier), Jean Mourière (Préfet), Marie-Pierre Bellefleur (Pauline), André Penvern (The count), etc.
Produced by Kam&Ka, Ramona Productions and France Télévisions. Co-produced by Be-Films and RTBF (Télévision belge) with the participation of RTS Radio Télévision suisse and TV5 Monde. Filmed with the support of Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Pôle Image Magelis and Département de la Charente. Produced by Samuel Kaminka & Stéphane Kaminka, Olga Vincent & Jean-Pierre Alessandri. Music by Xavier Berthelot (Joséphine, ange gardien) and Stéphane Rault. Cinematography by Stéphane Cami. Editing by Bénédicte Gellé. Olivier Perrault is the director of the fabulous title sequence.
(1) Inpressively, a repeat on January 1, 2021 caught 4.43m viewers (19.2%).
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