An ill-assorted group of international criminals executes a tightly-planned ransom sting in Spain. Things go along swimmingly until various tensions within the group come to the fore. A somewhat predictable, but enjoyable crime melodrama, enhanced by a cool soundtrack, a sustained atmosphere of sunlit unease and a touch of incest. Geraldine Chaplin’s film debut in which she gives the insanely sexy Sophie Daumier a run for her money. Based on a novel by James Hadley Chase.Read More »
‘We play because we love the truth and because we hate. We play because we would go crazy if we did not play. Play! Is there a time when I stop playing.” This reply gives the whole dimension of ‘Kean, a play in three acts the hero, English actor of the early nineteenth century, lived a romantic life. A true one-man show by Jean-Paul Belmondo.Read More »
One of the frequent themes in the films of Melville is loyalty between men, so it should come as no surprise to Melville fans that Michel and Ferchaux develop an usual, and even unhealthy bond–you could apply the term ‘co-dependency’ here, but while Melville’s film is ultimately positive when it comes to analyzing the relationship between the aging millionaire and Michel, the Simenon novel on which the film is based is far darker. If there’s any truth to the idea that a relationship can be judged by the way it alters the people involved with each other, then the relationship between Simenon’s characters Ferchaux and Michel Maudet is toxic.Read More »
Quote:
Petty thug Michel panics and impulsively kills a policeman while driving a stolen car. On the lam, he turns to his aspiring journalist girlfriend Patricia, hiding out in her Paris apartment. When Patricia learns that Michel is being investigated for murder, she begins to question her loyalties.Read More »
Roberto La Rocca (Jean-Paul Belmondo) is an ex-gangster whose friend Xavier (Pierre Vaneck) has been unjustly thrown in prison. Indeed, local gang leader Villanova is the one who framed Xavier. La Rocca confronts the mobster and kills him. Later, while helping his mistress (Beatrice Altariba) to fight off an American gang of racketeers, Roberto is caught by the police and is put in the same prison with Xavier. Then the two volunteer to clear land mines left from the last war, hoping to receive a pardon and to buy a quiet farm.Read More »
The original Italian is La Viaccia (the name of the family farm which motivates the plot). The death of a wealthy patriarch in 1885 sets off an interfamily power struggle. Son Ferdinando buys out his other relatives in order to gain full control over the dead man’s property. But Ferdinando’s country-bumpkin nephew Amerigo holds out. Amerigo’s stance is weakened when he heads for the city and meets prostitute Bianca. To support her in the manner in which she is accustomed, Amerigo steals from his uncle. Disgraced in the eyes of his family, Amerigo decides to stay near his beloved Bianca by becoming a bouncer in her brothel.Read More »
The film is an archival self-portrait of Jean-Luc Godard. Through his words, gaze and work, the film tells the story of a life of cinema; that of a man who will always demand a lot of himself and his art, to the point of merging with it.Read More »
Synopsis
Criminal genius Grimm devises a seemingly foolproof plan to rob the Montreal Central Bank. By disguising himself as a clown and passing off his accomplices Georges and Lise as two of the hostages, he manages to smuggle two million dollars out of the bank without anyone noticing. The get-away proves to be somewhat more difficult though…
Déguisé en clown, Grimm dévalise la banque de Montréal. Il prend 32 otages, dont parmi eux 2 sont des complices. Le casse réussit, mais intervient Larsky, un rival, ainsi que la police, qui vont nuire au braquage parfait effectué par Grimm…Read More »
Le Casse (US title: The Burglars) is a 1971 French-Italian neo noir crime film directed by director Henri Verneuil and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Omar Sharif. It is based on the 1953 novel by David Goodis and revolves around a team of four burglars chased by a corrupt policeman in Athens. It’s a remake of the 1957 film The Burglar with Jayne Mansfield.
The movie is known for its spectacular car chase and Belmondo’s incredible fall from a construction truck down a steep, rocky hillside. The movie was shot twice, once in French and once in English, by the same cast.Read More »