Even though Fantômas was not the first famous film criminal mastermind (“Transnational Fantômas” reports: ‘the Zigomar cinematographic trilogy...between 1911 and 1913, became enormously popular all over the world’), the Fantômas serial quickly became the most influential - and its popularity lives on. Like all criminal masterminds, he is pursued by a shrewd and determined detective - Inspector Juve. But unlike other police detectives in film, Juve is no hero, no pompous know-it-all. Yet, unlike noir private detectives, Juve isn't portrayed as an antihero. Juve is simply a loser - a loser who is unstylish, seems to have no family or love life, and tends toward despondence and chain-smoking. In short, Juve is the soul of this flick, giving it its uniquely modern feel. And, for those of us that normally root for the bad guys, Juve is the only cop we can comfortably cheer for - because we know he will lose.

Online: Internet Archive