Google Plot summary: ¿A movie about a Paris police chief whose life investigating violent crimes has left him despondent. After beginning an affair with a beautiful but cold woman named Cathy, he befriends her boyfriend, Simon, a local nightclub owner?
Uh yeah - that is not really what this movie is about. This is a heist film - more akin to “The Thomas Crowne Affair” (1968)/(1999), “Heist” (2001), or “The Score” (2001). Except: a) the focus is on the policeman rather than the criminals b) it doesn’t have a happy ending c) no one wins.
Yes the Cop does have an affair with Cathy under the nose of her boyfriend Simon - but Simon & Cathy are manipulating him while they stage their caper. The cop is brutal in his pursuit of the criminal gang. There is a great female actor playing a transvestite homosexual man who is a snitch. The cop is cruel to her, taking her information and resenting / abusing her for it. The cop is indeed despondent, but his response is not depression. It is anger and violence.
The movie includes several action sequences including a 20+ minute sequence cut in real time of the main crime that is riveting. I squirmed in my chair. I am pretty sure Chrysler corporation sponsored the film - so many Dodge cars on the streets of France.
I watched because it stars Catherine Deneuve (hubba hubba), and I thought it was cool to see Richard Crenna & Michael Conrad in a French film. Crenna sounds like he read the lines in ADR. I am pretty sure someone else was speaking for Conrad. You can watch it with or without subtitles - there really is not much dialogue.
This was the last movie directed by Jean-Pierre Melville before he died the following year. Melville is supposedly the spiritual father of French New Wave art film. While I am not sure what that means - this picture is dramatic, exciting, and tragic. The scenes, characters, and editing are great. I can understand how it would influence other filmmakers. It is a great piece of storytelling.
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