I’ve still not seen Coup de Torchon, but saw The Clockmaker recently and P.N. was sterling.

http://www.laweekly.com/film+tv/film/life-and-so-much-more/15084/

Coup de Torchon is wonderful. His last scene w/Isabelle Huppert is brutal in the best possible way. (“You can make alot of money...”). Arguably the best Jim Thompson film ever.

If I taught French, I’d make all my students watch La vie et rien d’autre for Armistice Day.