Beautiful and well paced

almontin

First of all, this is the first time I have watched a Lino Venture movie, so seeing it with new eyes has perhaps conferred it a special shine. But it is truly a very beautiful movie shot in a 1960s Paris in which only the cars have changed over the years. But the beauty also applies to the cast of actors and to their sensitive acting.

Lino Ventura is the fallen cop who doesn't bare a grudge and is dedicated as ever to his job, landing him into a painful fist fight with some thugs, and dealing chivalrously with his bright-eyed assistant Marlène Jobert who truly delivers as a newcomer to the job of crime fighting, aptly portraying both excitement and disillusion. The supporting cast, good and evil, deliver very well and accurately depict Paris' diversity (often through gritty character depictions and photography) 40 years back.

The plot flows well, sometimes interspersed with dream sequences which are beautifully rendered. Never cheesy (like so many movies of the time), well paced and acted, truly a great cop movie which has aged very gracefully.

score 9/10

almontin 22 July 2010

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2283800/