Claude Chabrol uses the detective novel by Nicholas Blake aka Cecil Day-Lewis as a pretext to carry out a study on the nature of revenge, and a critique of the French bourgeoisie, portrayed in a false theatrical staging that he will later develop in "La cérémonie" (1995). The result maintains the essence of the original book, focusing on the father dehumanized by the thirst for revenge and on that despotic figure who considers his own guilt inconsequential.

I needed some more plot twists but the ending was so beautifully done.