The Color of Lies
Seen it?1999 | 113 min | Crime, Drama
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Critics loved it (100% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz and soft box office. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for crime-drama fans.
- The mood
- Dark and gritty.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 53 min.
- What might put you off
- It's in French, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
In a small Breton town, a 10-year-old girl is found murdered. René, her art teacher, a professional painter, is the last person to have seen her alive. The inspector in charge of the investigation immediately questions him. In this small provincial town where people all know each other and regularly meet at the Bar des Amis, René is increasingly unsettled by the other inhabitants' suspicions and by the inspector's investigation. Children stop coming to him for lessons. His wife, Viviane, a district nurse, protects him and supports him with her love. However, a self-centred media-star writer adds to René's confusion...
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
100% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$111K worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 4K people sought it out in the past year
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Cast & crew
Directed by Claude Chabrol
- Sandrine BonnaireVivianne Sterne
- Jacques GamblinRené Sterne
- Antoine de CaunesGermain-Roland Desmot
- Valeria Bruni TedeschiFrédérique Lesage
- Bernard VerleyInspecteur Loudun
- Bulle OgierÉvelyne Bordier
- Pierre MartotRegis Marchal
- Noël SimsoloMonsieur Bordier
- Rodolphe PaulyVictor
- Adrienne PaulyAnna