Panique (1946) review

Having spent time in the pokey (on robbery charges) because she took "the rap" for her man Alfred (Paul Bernard), Alice (Viviane Romance) returns home to snuggle up to him and she once again has to save his behind by helping him pin his senseless murder of a spinster on local outcast Monsieur Hire (Michel Simon).  The bulk of Duvivier's attention seems to be on the sets and lighting - it certainly is a moody looking film - since the unfolding of the story itself is a tad dry, and the Hire character, who's supposed to be the "upstanding" figure, comes across as a creep: he uses multiple names (the other one being "Dr. Varga"), has an odd profession ("I sell hope, like priests.  And cures, like doctors"), enjoys taking photographs of people suffering, admits to "fixing up" his wife and best friend and is even accused by the butcher (Max Dalban) of behaving inappropriately with little girls.  It's strongly suggested that Hire is actually Jewish, too, which gives the movie an uncomfortably anti-Semitic slant: Hire has to be the "sacrificial lamb" for "order" to be restored.