Monsieur Hire is so delicate that you almost hold your breath during the last half-hour. Events of grave subtlety are taking place.

Like Leconte’s other work, Monsieur Hire primarily aims to challenge the viewer, offering a deeply psychological and sensual cinematic experience.

Monsieur Hire is an impressive technical achievement. Leconte has visualized his story deftly, from the burgundy shadows of Denis Lenoir's photography, to the sad wit of Michael Nyman's music and the elliptical dash of Joelle Haches' editing.

Prior to the 1989 release of Monsieur Hire, Patrice Leconte's enthralling adaptation of Georges Simenon's 1933 mystery novella, he was a well-respected director in France... Afterward, he was an internationally acclaimed art house sensation.