Un Flic (1975)

Great feel, not so great story

Melville is one of my favorite directors, and I love his other movies such as Le Cercle Rouge or Bob Le Flambeur, but this movie didn't have the same effect on me. If anything, his style is even more pronounced, which is all to the good. The almost completely silent robbery at the beginning is a thing of beauty, as is the train robbery. However, the plot just didn't hold together for me at all. It may be the fault of the subtitles, which I suspect were a somewhat poor rendition of the original french, but the movie really seems to jump around, and in many cases, makes no sense. I could go into more detail, but my issues are mostly to do with the closing scenes and the way in which the movie is tied together at the end. June 23, 2008

Now I've seen it all.

I just watched this on DVD last night and it is the first Alain Delon film I've seen in color, even though I'm fond of his films, I guess I'm just not the film buff that most reviewers here are. The most intriguing thing about this film and the reason I selected it on Netflix is that Richard Crenna also has a starring role. Hard to imagine what that would look like - of course he was a lot younger in 1972 - so was I.

I liked the stylishness of the action and the plot was interesting, maybe not riveting, but I was evenly entertained and Alain looked good as usual. Then all of a sudden I was rolling on the floor laughing hysterically. WHY? The train robbery scenes used a horribly obvious toy train set and an equally unbelievable plastic model helicopter. So now I am watching the rest of the film through a veil of tears and stifled guffaws.

Until that is, Richard Crenna, nattily dressed in his stylish French robe and patterned silk pajamas is trying to look nonchalant and cool, smoking a cigarette, oh so casually, in the corridor of the train car and all the while has this huge huge horse-shoe magnet (yes, with the ends painted RED) clanking around his neck (with a few other things) and hidden under his attire.

I came undone again and really kind of missed the whole end of the film because it was just so outrageously, no, sublimely ridiculous I couldn't get that image out of my mind and stop laughing. I enjoyed this film a lot and plan now to buy a copy right here at Amazon. April 4, 2008

Melville's swan film

Sad to say the Jean-Pierre Melville did not leave this planet on a high note. Still, UN FLIC possesses some virtues beyond Melville's picturesque style. I found the two drawn-out heists, one right at the start and one in the middle, fascinating. And Catherine Deneuve, in a small supporting role, was the lovliest I've ever seen her.

This film also had the curious appearance of two American actors, Richard Crenna and Michael Conrad (better known later for his role in HILL STREET BLUES) - dubbed (I presume) into French. Crenna brings weight to his role but he must have felt a little lost doing it.

However, the rest of the movie languishes in world-weariness - but why? Melville must have seen that tone it in a lot of movies at the time and wanted to emulate it. But the rest of the story is too barren to explain it. And both Alain Delon, as the cop of the title, and Catherine Deneuve were too young and too lucky to be weary of life. It didn't seem authentic.

Still, there are so few Melville films that this is worth a viewing by Melville fans, at least. July 19, 2007

gee

I read about alain delon, he said about himself, "a pretty boy with beautiful face". I was watching this movie and I have a 20/10 vision and I still couldn't figure out, why he said that, his little face with little piggy eyes. The only thing that is really going for him is his shoes. All his movies, how do I put it softly, [I do not like]. He don't even understand what he is doing in the movie as long as camera is rolling, again Alain Delon said that he feels miserable when camera stops rolling and director screams cut, I think he said that because he is afraid that one day director will say cut and you fired, get this untalanted [guy] out, I'll have a better luck doing serious movie with Robin Williams. December 1, 2002

Yawn

I'm no expert on film, much less French New Wave. I just like to explore a bit. So I picked this up because I heard it was considered to be influential, and because the idea of Richard Crenna being in something like this struck me as amusing. I liked the ocean/siren bit at the beginning quite a lot, but the ultra-slow pace lost me soon after that. It's also a bit difficult to watch the train/helicopter bit at the end with an unjaded eye. It just didn't captivate me. June 7, 2002

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