Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Nov 18, 2023

[Henri-Georges] Clouzot’s mercenary world of lies, greed, jealousy, and corruption offers a bleak portrait of postwar France.

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Yasser Medina Cinefilia Apr 22, 2021 7/10

An intriguing film about jealousy, suspicion and police traps. I expected no less from Clouzot. [Full review in Spanish]

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Ray Pride Newcity Jun 28, 2018 10/10

The exquisite noir lighting and location work suggest a kind of realism, which Clouzot constantly subverts with near-deranged expressionist elements. To watch Blier staggering down an alley in this film is to recognize the limits of color film.

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Neely Swanson Easy Reader (California) Apr 18, 2018

Watching Jouvet unravel the other characters as he begins to unravel the mystery is a brilliant lesson in minimalism.

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Robin Clifford Reeling Reviews Nov 16, 2011 B

Very typical of Clouzot's films, he utilizes sound and score to enhance tension and his penchant for mystery uses the whodunit to good effect, always shifting his subjects from innocence to guilt and back.

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Fernando F. Croce CinePassion Sep 25, 2009

The ignoble suspicions of Le Corbeau still churn under the razzmatazz surface

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Film4 Staff Film4 Apr 27, 2009

A superior noirish thriller which gets right under the skin of the seedy world it inhabits.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Apr 20, 2009

Clouzot is able to reveal a complex and interactive working-class world in which cops and criminals are sometimes difficult to tell apart.

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Variety Staff Variety Mar 26, 2009

Direction by Henri-Georges Clouzot takes full advantage of every possible opportunity to bring out character and manages to keep the tempo at a fast clip all the time.

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Tim Brayton Antagony & Ecstasy Oct 12, 2008 10/10

A beautifully-made and beautifully-written film about people stuck in a place that won't let them lead anything but a crummy, second-rate life. Classical French cinema at its very best.

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Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Jul 3, 2005 3/5

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Dan Jardine Apollo Guide Feb 14, 2004 92/100

A riveting noir-ish mystery that is unforgettable in just about every way.

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Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Aug 25, 2003 A

One of the great film noirs. It reaches the heart.

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James Kendrick Q Network Film Desk Jul 27, 2003 3.5/4

one of Henri-Georges Clouzot's greatest films, an influential thriller that is also a great character study.

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Rumsey Taylor Not Coming to a Theater Near You May 27, 2003

Quai Des Orfèvres is distinguished (although a patent genre film), and my recommendation is inhibited only by knowledge of Clouzot's later efforts.

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Shawn Levy Oregonian May 9, 2003

One of the most satisfying French crime films of its era.

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Ty Burr Boston Globe Apr 18, 2003 4/4

Terrifically entertaining.

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Chris Vognar Dallas Morning News Apr 17, 2003 A-

An elegant show-biz noir that weaves an intricate web of deception and intrigue.

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Moira MacDonald Seattle Times Feb 28, 2003 4/4

For those with a taste for classic movies, it's like finding a buried treasure.

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William Arnold Seattle Post-Intelligencer Feb 27, 2003 A-

It captures the underbelly of post-World War II Paris in the most glorious black and white you've ever seen.

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