Quick takes on 5 Melville films

Watched another set from the great French director Jean-Pierre Melville. Two Men in Manhattan, released in 1959, is a film noir with a slightly different feel than typically found in the genre. The French ambassador to the UN missed a seemingly unimportant vote one day, but two men team up to hunt him down to see if there is a story there. The two men are a French Press Agency journalist and a photographer who knows all the local celebs and hangouts. They spend the night hunting known associates and New York starlets, and do end up finding the ambassador. When they do, they each have to decide between claiming the story or following human decency. Taking place in New York on one long, dark night, the film has a lot of English language as the duo comb the streets. As a tidbit, one of the two (the journalist) is none other than Melville himself, the only time he acted in one of his own films, and his only starring role ever. ★★★

Magnet of Doom was Melville’s first picture in color, released in 1963. It follows a man named Michel who is broke, and picks up an ad to be a traveling secretary for banker Ferchaux. Ferchaux’s bank has failed and he is under investigation for shady business practices; as such, he is looking to skip town. On a time crunch, he hires Michel right away, and the two immediately board a plane for New York. Ferchaux is looking to gather as much cash from various spots as fast as he can, before settling in a non-extradition country. During their road trip from NY to New Orleans, Michel grows bolder in his dealings with Ferchaux, flexing his muscle as the crutch he knows he is, especially once Ferchaux’s brother and business partner is found dead in France. For me, I thought the movie was kind of weak. It features great storytelling but not a great story, if that makes sense. Jean-Paul Belmondo is just going through the motions on this one, and he isn’t as great as some of the other stellar films he’s been showcased in. Very average. ★★½

Le Deuxieme Souffle (Second Wind) came out in 1966, and Melville went back to black and white, to great affect, as it gives it a more raw feel, and the camera work is gritty too. This one features a big cast with lots of moving parts, so you’ve got to pay attention. The gist is a career criminal (Gu) escapes from prison, but before he can go into hiding, he needs a big cash score to set him and his sister up for life. Unfortunately for him, he is being tailed by one of the best investigators Melville ever concocted up. Blot is a cop who knows what people are going to say before they say it, and he is right on Gu’s footsteps, just waiting for a mistake. Gu picks up a job to rob a security van hauling valuable platinum, and all goes according to plan, until the old adage of “no honor among thieves” pops up. Double crosses and gun fights fill out the denouement of this intense flick. This picture doesn’t get as much attention as some of Melville’s other stuff, but it’s a great film. ★★★½

Le Samourai is another good one. Jef Costello (the great Alain Delon) is an assassin, a modern day samurai, whose life necessitates him being a loner. The film opens with him taking down his latest contract, in a busy night club no less. He knows there are going to be witnesses, but he has a lock tight alibi already in place, and the lead investigator, despite his gut instincts, is unable to pin the murder on him. The attention of the police though make Jef’s employers nervous, and they want to take him out too before they can lead the police back to them. Hunted by both the fuzz and his former employers, Jef is on his to try to kill the people who want him dead. It is a quietly tense and compelling film, and one that has some great scenes that are hard to forget. One of Delon’s best (the movie was written with him in mind), and one of the rare pictures to hold a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. ★★★★½

Ending on another great one. Le Cercle Rouge (The Red Circle) is a crime heist drama starring Alain Delon again, this time as a cool and collected man just out of jail. Before getting out, Corey is told about a potential job by a corrupt guard, but it sounds like a high risk/high reward opportunity. Thankfully Corey gets some help. That very day, Vogel escapes police custody and flees on foot, finally jumping in a waiting car’s trunk to get away. The car, of course, belongs to Corey, and the two team up for a detailed and thrilling jewel heist. Aided by a corrupt cop who has been off the force due to his alcoholism, the trio rob a high end jewelry store in mesmerizing fashion. Being known criminals and not wanting to give themselves away to the multitude of cameras around the store, the robbery is done in near complete silence with no dialogue, in real time, for a solid 30 minutes. It is about as gripping an act as you will find. The ending of the film is no less explosive, with the determined police officer who’s been hunting Vogel finally catching up to them. Great picture. ★★★★