The Loner (French: Le Solitaire) is a 1987 French crime film directed and co-written by Jacques Deray, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean-Pierre Malo, Michel Beaune and Pierre Vernier. It was the last in a series of commercial action films made by Belmondo, which started with 1975's The Night Caller and made him a powerhouse at the continental European box office.
Plot
The policeman Stan Jalard and his colleague Simon Lecache are rather fed up with police work. They are toying with the idea to quit police service in order to run a hotel on the Antilles. Single father Lecache has already asked his son Christian about it. But at the very evening when Lecache tells Jalard that his son approves of their plan, Lecache is murdered by the professional killer Charly Schneider.
Jalard changes his mind. He dedicates his life all the more to police work. After two more years he has been promoted but he had no chance to get Schneider yet because Schneider disappeared. Eventually Schneider returns to France and commits crimes. Moreover, he threatens Jalard on the phone and later devastates his flat. He even sends somebody to shoot Jalard and his godson Christian in the street.
Jalard identifies Schneider's new accomplices and puts them under pressure. Step by step he closes in on him until he can confront him in his hide-out. Schneider refuses to show any regret, eludes and steals a car. He tries to run over Jalard who arrests him anyway. Now that Jalard has brought the murderer of Christian's father to justice, he allows Christian to call him "Dad". He, who has put his godson away into boarding schools all the time and lived only for his police work, now demonstrates a shift in priorities. When they drive home, Jalard puts a police siren on top of his car and drives wiggly lines just because that obviously amuses little Christian a lot.
Cast
Jean-Paul Belmondo: Commissaire Stan Jalard
Jean-Pierre Malo: Charly Schneider
Michel Beaune: Pezzoli
Pierre Vernier: Maurin
François Dunoyer: René Pignon
Michel Creton: Simon Lecache
Franck Ayas: Christian Lecache
Bernard Farcy: Carmoni Lecache
Production
Development and writing
During promotion for his previous film, 1985's Hold-Up, Belmondo announced that he had two projects lined-up: his long awaited return to the stage and another crime film, which became The Loner. Veteran helmer Jacques Deray was already attached at the time, and was the actor's choice. It was a natural one, as he had directed Belmondo in three prior films, including 1983's The Outsider (Le Marginal), which had been a massive hit, whereas his next three, The Vultures, Happy Easter and Hold-Up, although quite successful, had not lived up to the star's lofty standards.
At the time of release, Deray insisted on the differences between this film and The Outsider, saying that while it remained "Belmondian", the actor wanted a more story-driven affair, in the prestigious tradition of the film noirs directed by Jacques Becker and Julien Duvivier. The action scenes were noted for being far more subdued than in the actor's prior body of work. This was acknowledged by Deray, who declared: "The Loner is of course a film about movement and action, but Jean-Paul does not perform any stunt. [He] wanted to take a break. The Loner is a film where there is no outstanding physical feat. [...] He is more of a psychological hero than a physical one."
In his memoirs however, Deray was more upfront regarding the film's limited ambitions, calling it "a copy of The Outsider". Another, more pragmatic reason for its low action quotient was a serious spinal injury suffered by Belmondo while attempting an air lift stunt for Belmondo de A à Z ('Belmondo from A to Z'), a variety television special hosted by Patrick Sabatier to promote Hold-up, which had left him with persistent discomfort.