‘Dossier 137’ Review: A Sharp Police Procedural Investigates Law, Order and Social Justice in Contemporary France

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In the gripping 2022 police thriller directed by Dominik Moll titled “The Night of the 12th“, the narrative centers around French investigators chasing a ruthless murderer who always managed to slip through their grasp. As they inched closer to apprehending him, he seemingly vanished even further, causing them to spin in circles for years as part of a profound, soul-searching investigation that left no one untouched.

In the film “Dossier 137“, the police officers are portrayed as fallible individuals who exhibit a clear bias (with only one female officer on the team), yet they are presented as the ‘good guys’. This movie serves as a thought-provoking analysis of police brutality, where the roles have reversed and the police themselves become the perpetrators. The audience is left questioning the very essence of policing in a France grappling with social upheaval and class disparity. The new thriller from Moll, while maintaining the same meticulous craftsmanship as his earlier works, places more emphasis on the intricate processes involved. This leaves viewers in a tense position, torn between law and disorder, righteousness and corruption, protestor and rioter, posing questions without simple solutions.

In the movie “The Night of the 12th,” which is based on Pauline Guéna’s acclaimed book, shares similarities with films like “Zodiac” and “Memories of Murder” in its intricate hunt-for-a-killer plot. On the other hand, the film “Dossier 137” appears to draw inspiration from certain episodes of “The Wire.” The narrative unfolds primarily from the perspective of Stéphanie (Léa Drucker), an officer working in France’s internal affairs department, often referred to as “la police de police” or what we might call internal affairs. This film is replete with police jargon and accurately portrays the intricate steps involved in a comprehensive investigation within the department. Although the two-hour runtime may cause some tension to diminish at times, Moll and regular co-writer Gilles Marchand transform potentially dry subject matter into an engaging exploration of modern law enforcement in France.

The events in 2018’s Yellow Vest protests served as a source of inspiration for them. These protests, which took place in Paris and other significant cities, resulted in street battles that left many protesters injured, some severely so from Flash-ball impacts by riot officers or those sent to control the escalating demonstrations. In one instance, President Emmanuel Macron authorized armored vehicles to traverse the boulevards of Paris.

In Moll’s fictional narrative, events unfold during a specific period, featuring interviews, cell phone recordings, and occasional news clips. The narrative centers around an event where Guillaume Girard (played by Côme Peronnet), a young protester, is critically injured due to Flash-ball fire near the Champs-Elysées. Stephanie is given the responsibility of identifying the perpetrator, which leads her to question numerous individuals on multiple occasions and collect as much visual evidence as possible.

With partners Benoît (Jonathan Turnbull) and Mathilde (Carole Delarue), she embarks on the task of unraveling events, encountering various roadblocks along the way. Guillaume’s family, particularly his vocal mother Joëlle (Sandra Colombo), have always been distrustful of police officers, a sentiment that deepens post-incident, providing Stéphanie with limited cooperation. Her investigations further complicate when she encounters resistance from riot police and members of the BRI (French SWAT equivalent), who initially deflect her inquiries until she manages to gather enough proof to focus on two suspects: Théo Costa-Marini and Théo Navarro Mussy, both accused of firing Flash-ball guns at Guillaume as he fled.

In the role of a filmmaker, Moll appears to behave much like a detective himself, meticulously tracking his heroine’s moves, whether she’s on duty or in private moments at home with her son (Solàn Machado Graner) and a stray cat named Yoghurt whom she rescues from a garage. The film isn’t consistently suspenseful, but Moll ratchets up the tension significantly in the third act. Just like any good investigation, Dossier 137 poses challenging queries: Is Stéphanie making the right decisions or crossing lines at a time when France appears on the verge of class conflict? What is the purpose behind policing the police, particularly members of the BRI – some of whom were present during the Bataclan terrorist attacks? And weren’t the rioters themselves responsible for igniting the unrest by setting Paris ablaze?

The movie explores complex themes amidst a deeply polarized setting where everyone appears either as a police officer or an opponent of the police. Stéphanie finds herself growing more and more at odds with her fellow officers, leading to a poignant interrogation scene in which she is challenged by a superior about her own prejudices. Previously, her ex-husband (Stanislas Merhar), also a cop, criticizes her for targeting other officers, to which she retorts that if she didn’t act, “only the rude would be left.

In the film “Last Summer” and “Custody,” the talented Drucker delivers another captivating portrayal, playing a woman striving for justice amidst a nation plagued by political strife and societal unrest. The rest of the cast, particularly Turnbull, provides amusing relief as Stéphanie’s tough-talking partner. In a noteworthy scene, they visit the luxurious Prince de Galles hotel, where some windows offer views of the crime scene. When Benoît discovers that a room there costs as much as his entire monthly salary, he steals a few bars of soap in retaliation. French police officers may wield power, but they’re not immune to financial struggles.

In a talkative film, the hotel sequence creates one of the few intense moments of suspense. Here, Stephanie pursues a chambermaid (Guslagie Malanda from “Saint Omer”) on the metro, hoping she may have more information than what was revealed during interrogation. Director Moll skillfully maintains our attention as these two play a quiet game of cat and mouse on public transport, culminating in Stephanie finally catching her target. The tragic irony of this scene, and indeed the entire film “Dossier 137”, lies in the fact that both women genuinely wish to do what is right, but they exist in a world where it’s no longer about right or wrong, but rather who you align with.

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2025-05-16 04:54