Character Relationship Map: Buffet Froid

Characters

• Alphonse Tram (played by Gérard Depardieu) — protagonist

  A dreamy, erratic loner who becomes the central figure in a chain of bizarre murders after accidentally giving a bloody knife to a stranger.

• Inspecteur Morvandieu (played by Bernard Blier) — protagonist

  A weary police inspector who reluctantly investigates the murders, clashes with Tram, and is eventually killed by him.

• Le vieil assassin (played by Jean Carmet) — supporting

  The actual murderer who confesses his crimes, drinks with Tram and the Inspector, and is later mistakenly killed in the countryside.

• Le comptable (played by Michel Serrault) — supporting

  An orthodox accountant who encounters Tram late at night and is found dead in a metro tunnel, stabbed with Tram's knife.

• Eugène Léonard (played by Jean Rougerie) — supporting
• Geneviève Léonard (played by Geneviève Page) — supporting

  Tram's wife, whose murder sets off the chain of bizarre events and police investigations.

• Le tueur à gages (played by Jean Benguigui) — supporting

  A hitman whom Tram attempts to kill, but who ironically wants to end his own life anyway.

• Inspecteur Cavana (played by Eric Vasberg) — minor
• Le garde du terrain vague (played by Maurice Travail) — minor
• Le garde de la tour (played by Roger Riffard) — minor
• La femme divorcée (played by Nicole Desailly) — minor
• Josyane (played by Liliane Rovère) — minor
• Le locataire musicien (played by Michel Fortin) — minor
• L'homme divorcé (played by Pierre Frag) — minor
• L'homme dérangé en pleine nuit (played by Marco Perrin) — supporting

  A disturbed man who appears later in the narrative and claims to have witnessed the events in the metro.

• La jeune fille (played by Carole Bouquet) — supporting

  The daughter of the murdered accountant who traps Tram and ultimately shoots him for revenge.

• Le médecin (played by Bernard Crombey) — supporting

  A doctor who comes to treat the widow and becomes romantically involved with her.

• L'hôtesse au château (played by Denise Gence) — minor

  A minor character likely associated with the countryside refuge setting, though not explicitly detailed in the provided plot summary.

Story Analysis

A darkly comedic exploration of absurd violence and social alienation triggered by a mundane object and escalating misunderstandings.

Plot Progression

1. The Bloody Knife Incident
2. Chain of Bizarre Murders
3. Countryside Fugitives
4. Final Betrayal on the Boat