A very well-made and engrossing film, but the 96 TCI rating was way, way off. For one this is one of the most ponderous, leisurely films I've ever seen. This doesn't lend itself well to a war film. Also whilst the direction and cinematography were impressive for a film of this age, the acting was mediocre. The subtitles were often poorly translated. So yeah, good film, but hardly one of my all-time top 5, as was suggested.

Army of Shadows has me torn. On one hand, it's slow, meandering, long, and boring at times. It took me three sittings to get through. On the other hand, it's beautiful, deliberate, and has at least two transcendent scenes. The opening shot of the Arc de Triomphe and the escape from the machine-gunning executioners are strong enough to elevate the entire film. Actually I'm not that torn at all. My guess is that Army of Shadows will be worth viewing multiple times, just as Le Samourai is.

Absolutely incredible movie. Moving, intense, great cinematography. Simply amazing, it's timeless

That opening shot is one of the greatest moments in cinema ever.

Anti-romantic tragedy, full of contained pain and emotion of human beings, who choose to not deviate from duty.

Bleak, cold, tense, distant, and therefore perfectly fitting. It took a rewatch to realise how subtly effective the movies' atmosphere is. These are desperate people trying their best to make a difference, even though every gesture seems futile and hopeless.

Very powerful film.

There's no translucency here, no asymptotic drive to extend illusion into sheer naturalism. Melville accepts film as a beautiful picture, nothing more. Army of Shadows is separated from realism by its lack of detail, its aestheticized imagery and concise, simplified text - and every effort is put into this aesthetic minimalism. But it is far from dishonest. Gerbier (nailed by Lino Ventura), at once a hero and a villain, is the stuff truth is made from. And Signoret. And the ending. Terrific.

Classic Melville.

"Jean-Pierre Melville's Army of Shadows finally emerges from anonymity this April to assume its rightful canonical place alongside the French master's peerless Parisian noirs." - Nick Schager

A tedious and uninteresting film about the French Resistance. This film make it seem as though the only thing this guys ever did was hiding, getting arrested, escape and kill each other.

One of the great war films of all time, the film exhibits magnificent tension through glacial pacing, exquisite framing from the opening shot onward, and masterful performances from all, esp. Ventura and Signoret. Even though these resistance fighters are on the right side, the moral haze thickens as the film progresses, and what seems an easy decision early in the film looks much more complex and tortured late. Brilliant.

#449

Well acted, well shot, nice tone, ect. I was definitely on board for the first half of the film, after that it started to loose me, it seemed to flounder a bit. By the time the third act rolls around I felt completely derailed. The old "capture, rescue, capture rescue" routine got a bit stale, it ran a bit too long over all. A shame because the first half of the film really had something going.

92.000

A bleak and hopeless story, with dull gray/blue winter colors and sad music - it was almost too much for me at times. Thankfully, the characters are very strong and the constant tension really kept me invested in the Resistance's struggle to survive. The camera movements, framing and lighting are all top-notch as well.

A good story at its core that kept my attention. However, I felt like the emotional investment the movie generated in me was very minimal, which really limited my enjoyment of it. This is a problem I seem to have with most older movies that I see. I guess they're just more subdued.

"Melville outlines the valorous and dirty deeds of heroes in taut action sequences that reach unusually existential heights."

One of the greatest war films I've ever seen, though it definitely doesn't play out like a typical war film. In tone, it feels more like a tragic gangster film, such as The Godfather. The cool, muted tones of the cinematography, and the general bleakness make for a dark, pessimistic, but brilliant and complex resistance story.

An amazingly photographed and extremely bleak film about the French resistance. The actors, especially Lino Ventura's, are all wonderful and there are some scenes that will remain with me for a long time because of well performed they were.

It was a bit slow and dull at some points, but overall, it captured the bleak, desolate feeling of the French Resistance quite well. Very depressing and very dark. It's sad how in the grand scheme of things, nothing really was accomplished aside from each person's own impending death.