Un certain Monsieur Jo (1958)
Directed by René Jolivet

Film Review

Un certain Monsieur Jo might have had some mileage, and even some modicum of charm, if only it did not look like such a dull pastiche of American film noir.  In this respect, it is similar to Pierre Foucaud's Mémoires d'un flic (1956), which also had Michel Simon incongruously cast in a classic B-movie role, his talents clearly wasted, as was sadly often the case at this stage in his career.  As ever, Simon throws himself into his part, even if the script doesn't deserve such commitment and does it best to inhibit his attempts to give a convincing character portrayal.  By far the most memorable scenes are those in which Simon interacts with the adorable child actor Joëlle Fournier - these heartwarming moments prefigure the actor's subsequent triumph in Claude Berri's Le Vieil homme et l'enfant (1967).  Otherwise, Un certain Monsieur Jo is lacklustre and instantly forgettable, qualities that it shares with just about every other film that René Jolivet directed.

Film Synopsis

Jo Guardini, known to everyone as Monsieur Jo, leads a quiet, honest life running an inn on an island on the River Marne.  Ten years ago, he was a notorious hoodlum, but those days are now far behind him - or so he thought.  One day, he returns home to find a little girl, Yvette, imprisoned in his cellar.  It is obvious to Jo that the girl has been abducted and must be returned to her parents as quickly as possible, but when a police inspector, Loriot, shows up Jo becomes fearful of incriminating himself.  Knowing that their kidnapping plans have gone horribly awry, the girl's abductors contact Monsieur Jo and order him to kill the girl.  Jo refuses to do this and instead makes up his mind to deal with the kidnappers himself.  In the ensuing exchange of fire Jo is seriously wounded, but one of his boarders, Simone, comes to his aid.  By now the police have turned up in force and are surrounding the inn...