Dear Inspector

De Broca hit gold regularly with entertainments like That Man from Rio and King of Hearts, but for the witty panache of the former and the cultish whimsy of the latter Dear Inspector substitutes a tired, slapdash soufflé of middle-aged romance and comedy-thriller. Ex-Sorbonne classmates, bearded Greek professor Noiret and female cop Girardot meet cute. She keeps quiet about her job, until the strains of hunting the murderer of a lengthening list of Deputies prove too much. They part, she resigns, turns to spring-cleaning. They reunite in scenic Honfleur; she solves the case, he gets involved; they limp off towards bliss. Routine froth.