Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

GUENOT PHILIPPE I am ashamed. I intend to comment a sequence about a film I consider one of the best french crime flick ever, and directed by the greatest french film makers ever, and I don't remember which actors are in the sequence I want to talk about. I only remember Reggiani in this scene.It takes place in an attic, at least in an old mansion, where two friends talk to each other in front of a loot: jewelery pieces. One of the two is sitting on a bed, playing with his piece, whilst his pal is standing with the other fellow behind his back. Follow me?The guy sitting - I am nearly sure Reggiani - goes on playing with the gun and suddenly his friend turns back to face his friend talking to him. A friend who has the gun barrel just point on the standing man's chest. WITH NO INTENT TO KILL HIM. The two friends stop talking and fix one's eyes to each other. No comment. An absolutely terrific moment. Guess what will the sitting man do, whilst seeing his long time pal watching him with the gun pointed in his direction, with the loot besides... The sitting man finally SHOOTS his pal. ONLY ONLY ONLY because he would have NEVER beared to continue living besides his friend with this terrible doubt between the two of them. At least from his pal, who would have never looked his friend in the same way anymore. Unbearable here too.The absolute perfection to describe the complex manhood friendship that we only could find in Jean-Pierre Melville's films, and Pierre Lesou's novels.

bobsgrock More often than not, French gangster films that owe so much to early American gangster films come off as cakes with more icing than cake. This is not the case with Jean-Pierre Melville, whose Bob le Flambeur is a powerful tale of a compulsive gambler who attempts to right his own life and the lives of those he cares for. In Le Doulos, the story focuses on a gangster, Maurice, just released from prison who immediately gets back on the other side of the law and begins to get involved in the ever-constant struggle between French police and organized crime. This film obviously owes a great deal to early American gangster films, as so much of Melville does, but what makes it slightly different is the complexity of character and plot Melville injects into the story. There are numerous layers of action going on here; each character is as duplicitous as possible so motivations are always in question and the audience never really can tell who exactly is on which side until the final conclusion. Yet, it is never too confusing and never dull to watch as Melville invites us to explore closer the beautiful fluid camera work and the stunning and stark cinematography.The acting is also quite effective, especially Serge Reggiani as the world-worn Maurice whose face says more than anything else, and French cinema legend Jean-Paul Belmondo as the too cool for his own good Silien. All in all, a very entertaining and well-made caper thriller that compared to today's shoot 'em ups consists of more than enough cake with the right amount of icing as well.

wglenn Made at pretty much the halfway point between Melville's Bob le Flambeur (1955) and Le Samourai (1967), Le Doulos contains elements of both. Belmondo plays Silien, a man thought by some to be a police informer. ("Doulos" means informer or Finger Man, which is the title in English.) Reggiani plays Maurice, who has just gotten out of prison and is getting involved with another robbery attempt. His friend Silien offers to help, and the film revolves around the tension over whether Silien is an informant or not. It's another exploration by Melville of the grey area between those who enforce the law and those who break it, of the uneasy yet powerful relationships that can develop between people on "opposite" sides of the line.Belmondo and Reggiani are both excellent. The black and white photography by Nicholas Hayer - who also did Cocteau's Orphée and Clouzot's Le Corbeau - is superb, from the wonderfully atmospheric opening sequence (Melville may be THE master of opening sequences) to the stunning, Cocteau-like shot of a man staring into a mirror that closes the film. The plot line gets a bit complicated at times, with rival gangs, a previous jewel heist, murder, betrayals, love affairs, etc. Hard to follow. Which is to say, it's a classic example of film noir. And the jazzy soundtrack by Paul Misraki heightens the cool, noirish sensibility of the film. Whatever his failings as a director, Melville definitely knew how to create a great atmosphere.Le Doulos is definitely worth checking out, especially by fans of film noir, Melville or Belmondo.

writers_reign Here we have yet another euphemism for nark in French underworld slang -we have already encountered La Balance and Le Cousin - which appears to possess an endless supply of same. 'Doulos' means both 'hat' and 'informer' on French streets and given the subject matter plus the trade of the leading character it is well named. Jean-Pierre Melville was, of course, both a specialist and master of American-style French gangster films and here he does both himself and his American Masters proud. At this time he was still shooting in Black and White which enhanced the resemblance and homage to such U.S. titles as 'The Asphalt Jungle', Melville's personal favorite, though when he DID go with color he turned out two masterpieces in 'Le Samourai' and 'Le Cercle Rouge'. He tended to work with actors repeatedly, specifically Alain Delon - Le Samourai, Le Cercle Rouge, Un Flic - and Jean-Paul Belmondo, who even played a priest for Melville in Leon Morin, prete. It's Belmondo who gets to bat this time out and when he steps up to the plate he hits one out of the park. He is established tidily as a nark and Melville daringly delays until two thirds of the way through to reveal what is arguably the biggest twisteroo. To say more would be superfluous. Go see. 8/10