''L'Alpagueur'' (aka ''The Hunter Will Get You'') is a film written and directed by

Philippe Labro Philippe Labro (born 27 August 1936) is a French author, journalist and film director. He has worked for RTL, ''Paris Match'', TF1 and Antenne 2. He is a laureate of the Prix Interallié, a French literary distinction founded in 1930, whic ...

and starring

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor and producer. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward. His best known credits ...

in the title role and

Bruno Cremer Bruno Jean Marie Cremer (6 October 1929 – 7 August 2010) was a French actor best known for portraying Jules Maigret on French television, from 1991 to 2005. Origins Bruno Cremer was born in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, in the eastern suburbs ...

as ''L'Epervier''. Released in 1976 and considered as a typical French thriller from the 1970s, it is one of many Belmondo's movie where he is playing the title role. Like in Le Magnifique, L'Incorrigible or

Le Marginal ''Le Marginal'' is a 1983 French crime film directed by Jacques Deray and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo. The music for the film was composed by Ennio Morricone. Plot Policeman Philippe Jordan works in Marseille. He intercepts the delivery of a sh ...

, Belmondo is the real star of the show, playing a solitary character and pursuing bad guys. The score from

Michel Colombier Michel Colombier (23 May 1939 – 14 November 2004) was a French composer, arranger, and conductor. Career Colombier wrote the scores of several motion pictures and TV productions. He also wrote chamber music and ballets. With composer Pierre H ...

is typical from this period, mixing piano, modern rhythms and brass instruments.

Plot

As one of the character is saying at the beginning of the movie: ''L'alpagueur c'est un chasseur de tête, c'est un mercenaire, un marginal. L'alpagueur c'est l'astuce qu'a trouvé un haut fonctionnaire pour passer au-dessus de la routine policière.'' The alpagueur is a head hunter, a mercenary, a marginal. The alpagueur is a trick made up by a state employee to be above the cop's routine. Originally a deer hunter, l'Alpagueur became a head hunter working for the police, paid by them with money stolen from criminals. The main plot revolves around l'Alpagueur's pursuit of l'Épervier, (

Sparrowhawk Sparrowhawk (sometimes sparrow hawk) may refer to several species of small hawk in the genus ''Accipiter''. "Sparrow-hawk" or sparhawk originally referred to ''Accipiter nisus'', now called "Eurasian" or "northern" sparrowhawk to distinguish it f ...

) a bank robber and an assassin, who kills whoever sees him commit a crime. His technique is to pay a young and naive man to be his accomplice and kill him right after. One of his accomplices, Costa Valdez, is only wounded during one of his hold ups, and with his help, l'Alpagueur manages to find l'Épervier at the end.

Cast

– Roger Pilard aka "l'Alpagueur" *

– Gilbert aka "L'Epervier" * – Granier * – Costa Valdes *

Jean Négroni Jean Négroni (4 December 1920 – 28 May 2005) was a French actor and theatre director particularly known for his voice work, such as his role as the narrator in ''La Jetée'' (1962). Biography Jean Négroni was educated in theater by Albert Cam ...

– Spitzer * – Inspector Doumecq * Jean-Pierre Jorris – Salicetti

Reception

The film was the 19th highest earning film of the year in France with 1,533,183 admissions.

References

External links

*
''L'Alpagueur''
at Le Film Guide {{DEFAULTSORT:Alpagueur, L' 1970s action thriller films 1970s crime action films 1970s crime thriller films French crime action films French action thriller films French crime thriller films 1976 films 1970s French-language films 1970s French films