Flic (Un)

English title: A Cop

Genre: crime thriller

With: Alain Delon (Police Commissioner Édouard Coleman), Richard Crenna (Simon), Catherine Deneuve (Cathy), Riccardo Cucciolla (Paul Weber), Michael Conrad (Louis Costa), Paul Crauchet (Morand), Simone Valère (Paul’s nervous wife), André Pousse (Marc Albouis)

Director: Jean-Pierre Melville

Screenplay: Jean-Pierre Melville

Release: 1972

Studio: Euro International Film and Oceania Produzioni Internazionali Cinematografiche  

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.6/10 

 

Too Much Crime-fighting Can Be Hazardous to Your Health 

 

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Story-line: in addition to their regular jobs, Simon, Paul, Louis and Marc share a lucrative sideline as thieves and traffickers. On this particular day, the quartet travels to a coastal town and pulls off a bank robbery mostly as planned… except that Marc is seriously injured in the process. While the gang figures out what to do, Police Commissioner Coleman begins his investigation.   

Pluses: a fine cast fully exploiting its star power (and there’s plenty of that with Alain Delon, Richard Crenna and Catherine Deneuve on board), a chilling, wily and suspenseful screenplay enriched by spare but precise dialogues and useful minor characters, economical but very dynamic direction, superb cinematography by Walter Wottitz, faultless production values and Michel Colombier’s discreet but purposeful musical score.

Minuses: in French as in English, the title says very little… but the movie itself is quite eloquent.    

Comments: the flawless UN FLIC begins with a breathtaking 11-minute recount of the ill-fated robbery in St-Jean-de-Monts and forges ahead unsparingly (along the way, you will witness a second caper, even more hair-raising than the first). On a quieter level, those close-ups of Alain Delon staring blankly into the camera are also something to behold. Trust me, movie buffs… this is the kind of big-time, riveting cinema we all live for. 

 

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 L’Innocente

Genre: romantic drama

With: Giancarlo Giannini (Tullio Hermil), Laura Antonelli (Giuliana, his wife), Jennifer O'Neill (Countess Teresa Raffo), Rina Morelli (Tullio's mother), Massimo Girotti (Count Stefano Egano), Didier Haudepin (Federico, Tullio’s brother), Marc Porel (Filippo d’Arborio)

Director: Luchino Visconti

Screenplay: Suso Cecchi D'Amico, Enrico Medioli and Luchino Visconti (based on Gabriele D'Annunzio’s novel)

Release: 1976

Studio: Rizzoli Film, Les Films Jacques Leitienne, Imp.Ex.Ci. et al.

Rating: R

MBiS score: 8.7/10

  

“I never wanted this. I loved him.”

 

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Story-line: as a member of Roman aristocracy, Tullio Hermil enjoys a charmed life devoted to his fencing skills, his wife Giuliana and his mistress Teresa…but his days of bliss may have come to an end. Teresa, tired of sharing him with another woman, has asked him to commit exclusively to her.  

Pluses: forceful acting by the intense Giancarlo Giannini (as a macho, stubborn Tullio), Laura Antonelli (his fragile wife) and Jennifer O’Neill (the passionate Teresa), masterful direction, cinematography and editing that bring out the more essential elements of the story, an accomplished screenplay and luxurious production values (sets, costumes, period detail and music).

Minuses: none I can think of.   

Comments: this last work by the great Luchino Visconti (1906-1976) is remarkable for its character interplay and an ultimately pathetic story that proceeds leisurely but determinedly towards its intended goal. Using a palette of passion and coldness, innuendo and jealousy, double standards and changing personal dynamics, L’INNOCENTE presents a serious and spellbinding essay on love, loss and the volatility of human emotions.   

 

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