Le Deuxième souffle

The thread is a little difficult to track, a criss-cross of deceitful schemes, but what matters is the sense that these characters are inevitably doomed by circumstance. Genteel decorum barely conceals underworld savagery, where Gu's sterling reputation of reliability is more important than the lives he takes to maintain it.

The compositions are striking throughout, but the plotting leaves something to be desired. Certain points are exciting, but the downtime in between is a lot of fussing about. Some of it is necessary to propel the story, but so much of it is done in a really dull fashion. The first hour especially is a real chore. The rest is an improvement, but never really takes off. A film with some fine qualities, particularly if you're fond of that fatalistic French gangster style, but needs some trimming.

This masterful crime flick is long and fairly plot heavy, but it never feels so since it's executed with a gracefully minimal style that emphasizes spare, terse dialogue and attention to small detail. It's a major film in Melville's evolving style and shows signs of the extreme austerity exhibited in "Le Samouraï" and "Le Cercle Rouge".

The first hour of setup is a bit of a chore, but once the dialogue lets up and we get into the heist, things get a lot more exciting. Not as much style as the other Melvillian honor-bound cold-blooded killers, but still clean and smooth as always.

Lino Ventura makes one amazing gangster. He's got the look, the style, the talk, all down perfectly, and his performance, combined with Melville's usual craftsmanship make for an exciting film.

# 974

928

My first Melville. A little disappointed but I don't really dig this style too much anymore.

The biggest and longest plot in the history of the World, but Melville pulls it off neatly enough. Especially the investigator is a nice dude. As is (Dr.) Alban. lol.

Gu is one unstoppable motherfucker. No matter how many sticky situations he gets into, he always manages to find a way out. This may be the most restrained movie of Melville's I've yet seen, due to the lack of conventional tension and the unsympathetic nature of all the characters involved, but the plot is compelling to the point that my interest never wavered. Melville's style is in full effect, with some especially nice B&W photography, which is both graceful and hard-edged.

Impressive French caper film that follows not only the heist, but the planning and the aftermath. There are a lot of characters, but it's casted perfectly. It feels very long -- not boring, just lengthy -- but that's to get that "feel" of anticipation: will the criminals get caught, and if so, when? (I'm not usually a fan of movies with all unsympathetic characters, but I saw Army of Shadows first and I love Ventura as an actor.)

Objectively, it's quite superb. And subjectively? Well, subjectively, it's long and a bit dry. (This piece of trivia is worth noting for Danes: Ole Michelsen was Melville's assistant on this one.)

Complex plot and multiple meaningful characters, suspense created by Melville maybe at his best.

91.750

Even after his time in jail, Gu has a fantastic reputation in the underworld, but soon he has to start "using it up". In the 2½ hour DVD cut of this, the first hour is plodding. It's a big step up from Bob le Flambeur; better plot, dialogue, characters and actors, but there's still too much static. The next evolutionary step would be Army of Shadows (also with the great Lino Ventura and Paul Meurisse), but first Melville had to make Le Samourai where he practiced parsimony and focus.

872

#900