After watching Claude Chabrol's dazzling Alice or the Last Escapade,I took a look at co-star Charles Vanel's IMDb page,where I discovered that Vanel stars in a Film Noir I've been meaning to watch for ages,which led to me getting ready to sin in Paris.
The plot:
Learning that the police are about to arrest him, legendary gangster Léonce "Le Fondu" Pozzi decides to break out of the hospital.During the escape, Fondu kills a cop.Seeing his partner dead on the ground,inspector Vardier vows to track down Fondu and to bring his underground empire down. Believing that Vardier can't get Fondu on his own,the head of police teams him up with new inspector Gilbert Barot. Looking for a weak spot to Fondu's inner circle, Vardier and Barot start to investigate the vices of the sinners from Paris.
View on the film:
Backed by a rousing score from Michel Legrand,co-writer/(along with Paul Andréota and Jean Ferry) director Pierre Chenal & cinematographer Marcel Grignon shine a light on the sinners with ultra-stylised shadows being wrapped around the strip clubs and Fondu's safe house.Breaking the darkness, Chenal fires shards of light across the screen as Fondu and his gang shoot up Vardier's routes.
Spun from a novel by Auguste Le Breton,the screenplay by Andréota/Ferry and Chenal wonderfully threads moody Film Noir with rustic Police Procedural.Following Vardier and Barot going by the book to break Fondu's gang,the writers shatter the cops rules with crackling Film Noir smoked in seedy dens and clubs that leads to Vardier uncovering a marvellously vicious twist ending. Attempting to balance the Noir with the Procedural,the writers disappointingly makes the small 78 min run time drag its feet a bit,due to Vardier and Barot rule book search for Fondu running out of steam.
Laughing at any cop trying to get their way, Charles Vanel gives a great performance as Fondu,whose mischievous grin Vanel wonderfully uses as a mask for the blunt-force actions of Fondu. Stuck with rookie Barot, (played by a very good François Guérin) Michel Piccoli gives a terrific performance as Vardier,whose rule book manner Piccoli joyfully twists and turns into Film Noir rebellion,as Vardier and Barot are surrounded by the sinners of Paris.
The plot:
Learning that the police are about to arrest him, legendary gangster Léonce "Le Fondu" Pozzi decides to break out of the hospital.During the escape, Fondu kills a cop.Seeing his partner dead on the ground,inspector Vardier vows to track down Fondu and to bring his underground empire down. Believing that Vardier can't get Fondu on his own,the head of police teams him up with new inspector Gilbert Barot. Looking for a weak spot to Fondu's inner circle, Vardier and Barot start to investigate the vices of the sinners from Paris.
View on the film:
Backed by a rousing score from Michel Legrand,co-writer/(along with Paul Andréota and Jean Ferry) director Pierre Chenal & cinematographer Marcel Grignon shine a light on the sinners with ultra-stylised shadows being wrapped around the strip clubs and Fondu's safe house.Breaking the darkness, Chenal fires shards of light across the screen as Fondu and his gang shoot up Vardier's routes.
Spun from a novel by Auguste Le Breton,the screenplay by Andréota/Ferry and Chenal wonderfully threads moody Film Noir with rustic Police Procedural.Following Vardier and Barot going by the book to break Fondu's gang,the writers shatter the cops rules with crackling Film Noir smoked in seedy dens and clubs that leads to Vardier uncovering a marvellously vicious twist ending. Attempting to balance the Noir with the Procedural,the writers disappointingly makes the small 78 min run time drag its feet a bit,due to Vardier and Barot rule book search for Fondu running out of steam.
Laughing at any cop trying to get their way, Charles Vanel gives a great performance as Fondu,whose mischievous grin Vanel wonderfully uses as a mask for the blunt-force actions of Fondu. Stuck with rookie Barot, (played by a very good François Guérin) Michel Piccoli gives a terrific performance as Vardier,whose rule book manner Piccoli joyfully twists and turns into Film Noir rebellion,as Vardier and Barot are surrounded by the sinners of Paris.