Tonight! Bob le Flambeur! (1955)!

[slaytonf]

One of Jean-Pierre Melville's best emulations of American noire.  A heist movie that follows the formula for a great heist movie, which is that the heist is the least important part.  But it's even better than that, because it's a heist movie without even a heist!  We get the jaded world-wise and -weary anti-hero, who lives by a code.  Respected in the underworld and by cops, some of 'em.  Down on his luck.  We get the femme fatale, drifting, bouncing between men.  For money?  For fun? No, for parce-que.  We get the young pup, left in trust to the Bob, idolizing him, wanting to walk in his shady side of the street path.  We get the frenemy cop, whose life the Bob saved.  We get the jazzy score.  We get the seamy Montmartre night-life.  Place Pigalle.  And to top it off, we get one of the best triple plot reversals in movies.  It deftly combines success and disaster, tragedy and triumph--and a girl in the Bob's apartément, awaiting his retour.

 

9:30 p. m., Pacific.

[Cigarjoe cellph]

https://noirsville.blogspot.com/2017/11/bob-le-flambeur-1956-laissez-les-bons.html

[ElCid]

In French?

[Cigarjoe cellph]

1 hour ago, ElCid said:

In French?

Yes.

[slaytonf]

Bien sur.

[jameselliot]

A heist film I missed until now. Roger Duchesne was perfect casting. Eddie's monologue about the actor's life proves  why a host can be important. The story veers into fantasy during the last 15 minutes and that softened the suspense. Isabelle Corey transcends the waif role. No femme fatale, she's a jinx girl  and her promiscuity helps to make a mess. I was waiting for Bob to slap her and he does, the only time he loses his cool.