The Night Caller (1975) User Reviews

Solid thriller by Belmondo and Verneuil

[michelerealini · 8/10 · 27 September 2005]

"Peur sur la ville" is one of the best films for both Jean-Paul Belmondo and director Henri Verneuil. At the time (1974-75) Belmondo is (with Alain Delon) the biggest French movie star -he's a versatile actor, but he is specialized in action movies where he can do his own stunts... His artistic and physical exploits allow him to be the Number 1 at the French box office between 1970 and 1987.

Henri Verneuil is too a versatile artist -in his long career he directs film of every genre, most of them are box office hits. He works with the Top French film stars (Fernandel, Belmondo, Delon, Ventura, Gabin, ...).

When the two men meet for this collaboration they are not novice artists and know exactly what they want. A solid thriller ("un polar") in the best French tradition with drama, fear and action. That's what they get and pack cinemas in many countries.

Paris is frightened by a psychopath, whose name is Minos. This assassin punishes people who are (in his opinion) sinners... Commissaire Letellier is an athletic cop who reaches to catch him, in putting his life in danger many times.

What else can I say? The merit of this movie is the simplicity. Because scenes are not exaggerated with special effects, they are not too violent as well. Efficacy of the movie depends on actors and their physical involvement.

Belmondo, who is a mask of the French cinema, is really great. He can be funny and dramatical -in this film he's a charming tough character. He has a lighter approach than Clint Eastood's "Dirty Harry" or than any of Charles Bronson executioners.

Belmondo at his best!

[Mikew3001 · 8/10 · 7 February 2002]

This French movie by crime and action movie director Henri Verneuil presents Jean-Paul Belmondo at his best! He plays a Clint-Eastwood-like hard boiled detective in Paris, chasing a mentally disturbed serial killer who's already killed several women. Belmondo is acting in his usual style, with less words than action and some witty remarks for every scene. Next to some scary murders and a disturbing one-eyed killer, the highlight of this movie is a 15-minute chase which starts on a house's roof and is continued by bike, cars and a thrilling subway stunt sequence, all filmed as good as well-known chase scenes like "Bullitt", "French Connection" or "Speed". If you like dark serial killer action, hard-boiled guys and breath-taking action sequences, watch this cool 1975 movie!

the best french action movie

[redcircle · 8/10 · 29 January 2004]

This movie was a replacement in France. It marks the entry of a new criminal type(Minos) in a scenery unprecedented(the cold tower).The introduction is very efficient,a woman alone in her apartment,harass by the voice of Minos. Commissaire Letellier will be change his méthods for catch Minos. The opposition between the old-fashion criminal(Marcucci) and the modern(minos) is the symbol of a new area. The stunts are incredible(belmondo=keaton and Jackie Chan)specially the chase on the subway.The Veber's dialogues are very punchy. 8/10

A Masterful Hybrid of Polizier and Giallo!

[overlook_productions · 9 June 2003]

Skip through the special features on the DVD of Peter Yates Bullitt (1968) and you'll find an interesting featurette entitled Steve McQueen's Commitment to Reality; a promo made at the time of the film's production. As this quaint little curio unravels, we're told that McQueen had driven the iconic Ford Mustang for real, during the seminal car chases. The viewer is given the impression that the film's star is really something special for doing so. FACT: Next to French superstar Jean-Paul Belmondo's stunt work in Peur Sur La Ville, McQueen was merely dipping his little toe in a very deep pool! Reality indeed!

The action sequences in Peur Sur La Ville are nothing short of jaw dropping, even by the standards of movies today. One chase sequence in particular has Belmondo pursuing a suspect up an interior stairwell, out through a window, across a series of rooftops whilst hanging onto various fascias and bits of guttering. Smashing through a skylight, he falls into a department store. Once again on street level, a car-chase ensues, climaxing with Belmondo running atop a moving train! Verneuil lets his audience know that it's his leading man putting his neck on the line. Belmondo is clearly seen, every step of the way. This is undoubtedly one of the best examples of its kind ever committed to celluloid.

Peur Sur La Ville would probably never have been conceived if it hadn't been for the aforementioned Bullitt or for that matter, William Friedkin's The French Connection (1971).For years, European critics sneered at American remakes/reworkings of classic foreign language films and held theirs heads high with the view that continental cinema was not only innovative, but actually set the trends for the Yanks to replicate. However, Bullitt, French Connection and Don Siegel's Dirty Harry (1971) set the record straight once and for all; the anti-hero cop was as American as the hamburger. These groundbreaking films introduced audiences to unorthodox cops that had a case to break, by any means necessary. Sometimes these cops would act as ruthless as the criminals they were fighting to keep off the streets. All three films upped the ante in terms of action and break-neck editing.

By the mid seventies, Italian directors such as Enzo G. Castellari (High Crime), Franco Martinelli (Violent Rome/Roma Violenta) Fernando De Leo (Calibre 9/Milano Calibre) and Umberto Lenzi (The Tough Ones/Italia a Mano Armata) were all dabbling with this new found genre. Whereas their American counterparts had cast the likes of Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson and Gene Hackman, the Italians were making stars out of Franco Nero, Tomas Milian, Maurizio Merli and Fabio Testi. Although immensely enjoyable almost all of these Italian poliziers never rose above formulaic. However, Verneuil, a Turkish film-maker working in France managed to pull off a real coup with Peur Sur La Ville. By making his film a hybrid of both polizier and giallo, it works on both levels and gives it the substance lacking from the Italian pictures.

A diabolical killer calling himself Minos, is on the loose in Paris. Having lived through the `free love' of the sixties and not getting any, he decides that he will `act as an arm of justice that will condemn without pity and execute all those who wallow in the sexual mud that is drowning us.' After establishing his motive, he sets about murdering promiscuous females. Hot on his heels is police Inspector Latelier (Belmondo). Minos taunts Latelier by sending a piece of his picture after each murder, in the view that the photograph will be complete when his work is done.

As Paris' most unorthodox detective, Latelier gets sadistic pleasure from seeing his suspects squirming. During one of the Sub-plots, Latelier refuses to call a critically wounded drug dealer an ambulance until he gets the information he is after, which echoes Eastwood's Callaghan in Dirty Harry.

As much as Verneuil was influenced by the like of Siegel and Freidkin, Peur sur La Ville owes a huge debt to the films of Mario Bava. The opening scene in which Minos taunts a victim on the phone, is reminiscent of The Telephone episode of Bava's anthology Black Sabbath (1963).Later during the aforementioned chase sequence, after crashing through the skylight, Latelier and Minos face off amongst the mannequins of a poorly lit store room; a nod to the Italian maestro's Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1969).

Peur Sur La Ville features a wonderful music score by none other than Ennio Morricone. The score is integral to some of the set pieces as one would expect. During the tense opening, Morricone orchestrates only a single drumbeat. This is extremely unnerving, as we the audience, know that Minos is about to knock at the door!

Canal + Video's DVD is presented anamorphically, in its original widescreen ratio of 1:66:1. This is as good a transfer as one could expect from a film of this age. Print damage is minimal but the colours seem a little washed-out. The sound is presented in two-channel mono, but is well balanced and serves Morricone's score well. The viewer has the choice of watching the film either in the original French language or in a dubbed English version. There are no subtitles available. Extra features are limited to the original theatrical trailer (in French), an interview with Verneuil (again in French) and a poster gallery.

Peur Sur La Ville is one of the lost landmarks of action cinema but is also so much more. If you have a thing for poliziers or giallos, this ones for you!

Prototypical serial-killer thriller.

[gridoon · 7/10 · 12 November 2004]

"Fear Over The City" is one of those films that invented what later became known as the clichés of the "serial-killer thriller" subgenre. It's all here: the mad killer who fancies himself a moral avenger, the "Freudian" explanations of his behavior, the threatening phone calls to the potential victims and the taunting ones to the police, the hostage situation at the end, etc. The structure of the film is almost experimental, with a chase sequence in the middle that goes on for about 30 minutes, and an entire subplot (about a bank robber who killed Belmondo's previous partner) that is little more than a mere distraction. Belmondo is good as the cynical, hard-as-nails cop, and yes, he does perform some stunts in this movie that are worthy of Jackie Chan at his finest. He has some great moments of black humor, too ("his heart really IS bleeding!") (**1/2)

7+ - A solid polar with a tremendous score

[johnpierrepatrick · 7/10 · 20 April 2020]

A nice polar movie that makes us follow the murders committed by a serial killer and, first and foremost, of a "no-brain-all-muscles" cop, played by Belmondo. As this is a French movie, of course, the cop is not just plain (nor Eastwood style, nor Willis style) and comes with comedy and some parody. But we do have a good set of action scenes, with a memorable one on the roofs of Paris.

The score, chiseled as all other Ennio Morricone's work, is the finishing touch that involves us in the ride!

Stunning Cop Thriller With Bebel

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 8/10 · 15 July 2008]

"Peur Sur La Ville" (aka. "Fear Over The City"/"The Night Caller") of 1975 is a great and excellently made French Thriller with the great Jean-Paul Belmondo in the lead. While this film was clearly inspired by American cult flicks, such as "Dirty Harry", "Bullit" or the "French Connection", and furthermore took its influence in early 70s Italian Gialli and Poliziotteschi, it remains very French and quite original. The story may not be the most original ever, but the way it is executed, the brilliant photography and director Henry Verneuil's great sense for stylistic tricks give this an immense originality. Commisaire Jean Lettelier played by Belmondo is the French equivalent to Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry and the tough coppers of Italian cinema played by actors like Maurizio Merli and Henry Silva. While the cop played by Bebel is an unorthodox tough guy like his American and Italian counterparts, he is also a typically French macho, talkative, chain-smoking and always wearing elegant clothes. This is a a French/Italian co-production, and while its characters and mood are very French, it uses many elements of contemporary Italian genre-cinema.

Comissaire Jean Lettelier (Belmondo) is a tough Paris cop, who is in desperate search for a gangster named Marnucci, who has once shot a civilian while escaping from Letellier after a bank robbery. But Lettelier has little time to focus on the gangster he is after. A psychopathic killer who calls himself Minos terrorizes the French capital, murdering women whom he considers morally reprehensible... The film delivers the popular 'tough cop vs. murderous psycho' formula in an excellent and visually stunning manner. Both the action- and the suspense-sequences are photographed brilliantly, in supreme camera angles and using great visual gimmicks (I won't spoil anything by giving examples). The performances are great. I'm a Belmondo-fan in general, and the role of the the rough-and-ready copper fits Bebel like a glove. Charles Denner makes a very good sidekick as Inspector Moissac, and the rest of the performances are also very good, especially Adalberto Maria Merli. With 120 minutes, the film is quite long for a cop-thriller, but it never seems long. Since the film is brilliantly shot, full of action and maintains the suspense from the beginning to the end, these two hours go by very quickly. Apart from great suspense and action, a brilliant visual style, and a great leading performance and supporting cast, the film profits from an ingenious score. All things considered "Peur Sur La Ville" is a tantalizing and great Thriller that no fan of 70s cinema should miss. Highly recommended!

Excellent B Movie. French Dirty Harry. Good acting, cinematography, acting. Story was OK. Great action scenes

[Bababooe · 7/10 · 5 March 2017]

Excellent B Movie. French Dirty Harry. Good acting, cinematography, acting. Story was OK. Great action scenes Fast moving French Dirty Harry Movie. Great chase scenes, people getting shot, car, roof top, motorcycle, train. Good cinematography with scenes of Paris. The story needed a bit more work. But it was OK. The ending was a bit weak. The killer should have been killed.

Excellent B Movie. Rating 7.

Excellent crime thriller, brilliantly executed

[The_Void · 9/10 · 14 April 2008]

What we have here is a crime thriller that includes most of the clichés of the genre, but does it in such a way that it feels original due to the execution. Henri Verneuil's film is really not what I was expecting it to be at all; it's actually a lot more than just a film about cops hunting a vicious psychopath and while not everything about the film works, what does work works brilliantly and this is certainly among the best European crime thrillers of the 1970's. The film is a French and Italian co-production, and while it's clear that the film is much more French than Italian; we still get some trademarks of Italian cinema thrown in and the film has elements of both the Polizi and Giallo genres. The plot simply focuses on an unknown serial killer that targets loose women in Paris by way of phone calls and later murder. Commissioner Jean Letellier and Inspector Moissac are put on the case and have to go through the Parisian underworld before coming close to catching the killer and discovering his insane reason for murdering the women of Paris.

The thing that really makes this film stand out is the leading performances courtesy of Jean-Paul Belmondo and Charles Denner. The pair fit into their roles excellently individually and have a great chemistry also, which director Henri Verneuil is keen to exploit as much as possible as the two actors provide the film with most of its best moments and also deliver some comedy. The film is not overly gory and the focus is never on the murders; although there are a few featured and the way that the director focuses on the killer's black gloves is a nice nod towards Giallo. The film features many of the crime film staples such as car chases and shootouts; a sequence that sees the main protagonist chase the killer in the middle of the film is excellently staged and very thrilling. The film changes pace many times throughout but the director always manages to keep things interesting. Adalberto Maria Merli's portrayal of the villain is suitably demented and detestable and the way that the film boils down towards the conclusion is well done and completely unexpected. Overall, this is an excellent film that doesn't deserve to be forgotten about and therefore comes highly recommended!

Enjoyable . But you can know why Cliché is a french word

[pablovete · 6/10 · 23 November 2023]

A serial killer in Paris A cop who doesn't like rules

An old case that he wants to solve even against his bosses

Letrers from the serial killer to Belmondo and the News papers

Fights on roofs On the metro. Even while it's moving through Paris streets

Shooting between maniquies on a hall

You can enjoy this one just because of Belmnondo but cliché is a french world ... now you'll understand why

There are minutes that you want to say please dont fall om that one ...

And there he goes anyway You've seen it all before and better

But if you wanna have some entertainin while u see the way clichés made B cinema thats your film.

Belmondo: unorthodox, cynical macho copper AND stuntman!

[Coventry · 8/10 · 5 July 2012]

Oh, how I love the raw and gritty 70's action cinema! Most of it was all about rude and extremely unorthodox macho police detectives hunting down utterly deranged psychopaths that leave a trail of terror and bloodshed throughout the most major cities of our world. The US delivered a couple of brilliant milestones in the genre (like "Dirty Harry" and "The French Connection"), Italy is probably world record holder with all their masterful "Poliziotteschi" classics, and also France proudly owns a handful of goodies. Henri Verneuil's "Peur sur la Ville" is a prototypic 70's cop thriller, and this definition basically translates into: high adrenalin action from start to finish, straightforward but tense plot lines, cool cops, nightmarish criminals, sharp dialogs, pitch-black humor and an awesome soundtrack! J-P Belmondo is absolutely terrific as the dry and sarcastic Commissioner Letellier, charged with the case of a misogynic killer who menaces his victims via the phone prior to actually strangling them. Letellier is initially quite reluctant to lead the investigation, as he's too preoccupied with catching the bank robber that killed his previous partner, but then manages to conjoin the two man hunts. The killer, who baptized himself Minos, is a delightful lunatic with one creepy-looking glass eye and a rather peculiar opinion on femininity. "Peur sur la Ville" features many recurring highlights, like the many sardonic interactions between Commissioner Letellier and his partner Moissac, but of course the most obvious aspect to worship here is the action. Belmondo literally bounces around Paris, from the rooftops of apartment buildings to all the way down in the subway network. One particular chase sequence lasts for nearly twenty minutes and includes both of Letellier's suspect targets. Making it all even more impressive is the fact that J-P Belmondo performed his own stunts. Gazing at some of the set pieces, I can assure you that he repeatedly must have risked his neck throughout this production. Nearly forty years later now, films like "Peur sur la Ville" may indeed come across as somewhat dated and overly clichéd, but it's still tremendously exhilarating and entertaining. Besides, back then those clichés weren't clichés just yet. It's just indescribably charming and fun to watch car-chases featuring those typical light European automobiles making random casualties left, right and center. The climax is tense, albeit a bit tedious and overly stretched, and you won't notice for a second that this is actually quite long for an action/thriller (+120min). Last but definitely not least, the always reliable Ennio Morricone delivers a dazzling soundtrack as well. Hearing his eerie tones during the opening credits, and you just know you're about to witness an overall excellent movie.

Jean Paul Bellmando IS Jackie Chan in this one

[mbs · 7/10 · 27 August 2010]

And He Does A Damn Fine Job Of It Too! Seriously he's dangling out helicopters...jumping around from rooftop to rooftop...riding the top of a speeding subway train trying to get a jump on one of the bad guys who thought he escaped (that scene was SO ripped off or paid homage to by the climatic scene in SPEED--i mean its very similar---Bellmondo even ducks the signal red light that whizzes by just like Keeanu at the end of Speed---its pretty awesome) All while trying to apprehend a serial killer who's going' around killing women and taunting him while doing so. The plot couldn't be more basic or more been there seen that---and yet the very kick ass action sequences--which were completely shot naturally--(i know this was made in the 70's but even then--doing stuff like this without stunt doubles or insurance claims or some trick photography--etc---was not as common as the awesome films from that era including French Connection and The Seven -Ups would have you believe) make it worth seeing.

Um i like the way the killer kills a woman while she's grinding coffee grounds in one scene and coffee beans are everywhere when Bellmundo gets there to explore what's happened...also the sequence at the end where bellmendo realizes that the guy in front of him is the killer--blah, blah, blah. ACTION DAMNIT ACTION!!!! which is what you're thinking when there isn't action happening. Luckily there's a lot of it on screen--and that's why you see this movie.

JP Belmondo Chases Killers Across Paris

[gerrythree · 10 December 2001]

Jean Paul Belmondo and his associate, Charles Denner, play tough cops after two killers in "Fear Over the City." Although not listed in the credits, the city of Paris plays a major supporting role. One killer, Marcucci, is a bank robber Belmondo's character is after for killing a fellow cop during an auto chase. At one point later in the picture, Belmondo is on the roof of a Paris Metro car above ground as it goes though Paris, with the cop killer inside the train. The viewer gets a chance to see the city sights as the train zips along.

The second killer, who uses the name "Minos," wants to rid the world of sexual immorality by targeting women he finds objectionable. Belmondo gets into a gunfight with Minos while on the sloping roof of a store, apparently the Galleries Lafayette. Director Verneuil does a great job of adding thrills as Belmondo slips on the sloping roof several times, almost falling off, all the while shooting it out with Minos. The pursuit of Minos after the roof fight leads to a chase through Paris, past the Eiffel Tower and through downtown streets, Belmondo's police car after Minos, on a motorcycle.

In this movie Belmondo gets a chance to play a real tough cop, one who shoots back at a suspect, hitting him, and then ignores him as he asks for an ambulance. Instead, Belmondo takes a break, reading a magazine in the wounded man's apartment until the guy talks. There is that scene in the basement of a bar, where 38 illegal aliens from Mali rent space from the bar owner. 1975 and this movie shows illegals forced to live in double or triple bunk beds in a storage basement. Belmondo's bell bottom pants have dated, but not that basement scene nor the professionalism the cast and crew bring to this movie.

Visually very well made

[Thorsten-Krings · 7/10 · 30 November 2007]

Once you get over the silliness of it all, the film is actually pretty stylish. Plot and logic are occasionally sacrificed for shock effects- like the completely pointless though well made opening scene. The story meanders and is more of an excuse for action scenes. Again, these are very well made and trhe overall pace of the film is fairly good. So from that point of view it's a competent thriller with a weak story. However, the real strength of the film really lies in its visual power in terms of having really well crafted scenes with an excellent composition. From that point of view Peur sur la Cite is certainly one of the better films Belmondo made in the 70s/80s. That in itself makes the film worth watching.

An "oldie" that is still worth a viewing

[clong_clong · 9/10 · 22 May 2005]

This movie looks old and is sometimes a bit zany, but even if it can't have the same impact than 30 yrs ago, it is still worthy of a viewing. It's fast-paced psychopathic killer movie of the kind that later became so popular till nowadays. The dialog co-signed by Francis veber (La chèvre, le dîner de cons, les fugitifs, etc ...) that is the actual record-man for the number of movie that have been remade by Hollywood, are great and funny. As for the music made by Ennio Morricone, it works great with the movie (for instance the sequence in which Minos (the killer) is tracked up to the Galeries Lafayette's attic by the Comissaire Letellier (J.P. Belmondo) is thrilling partly because of the music and the ambiance). Notice the bit of humor when we can hear as Belmondo chase the killer in the Galeries Lafayette, the woman's voice of the advertising that says in French "there is always something happening in the Galeries Lafayette". As I said, it is a fast-paced movie, it also has a lot of action and Belmondo uses it to show his athletic skills, not using a stuntman to do the job. Belmondo is great as the bad-ass cop with a cynical sense of humor.

I recommend you to check this movie out while keeping in mind that it looks old and there are some awkward moments due to its date of release (guns sounds like firecrackers).

Paris, city of fights

[myriamlenys · 8/10 · 25 June 2022]

"Peur sur la ville" was meant as a big-budget showcase for the talents of Jean-Paul Belmondo, both as an actor and as a stuntman. (Belmondo was a fine, versatile athlete.) The movie certainly delivers and so does Belmondo. It is a stylish, wildly exciting police/action movie peppered with fights and pursuits. Lovers of Paris can amuse themselves by putting names on the various locations. The famous subway pursuit, worth the price of admission by itself, has never been bettered.

The movie includes some beautifully ironic scenes, such as an unstable lunatic listening in to a live, publicly broadcast psychiatric analysis of his most intimate problems. And of course there's an interview with his dear grey-haired mother saying that he was such a sweet little boy...

Jean-Paul Belmondo plays the part of a macho police commissioner forced to pursue two dangerous criminals at once, sometimes literally so. One of the said criminals is a professional gangster, the other one is a sexually warped madman who dislikes women with a lively love life. Calling himself Minos, after the infernal judge of hell, the madman goes around punishing sin - or, as the case may be, "sin" - with an ever increasing gusto. He is cleansing the world through righteous violence, so why should he stay his hand ? (Congratulations to Adalberto Maria Merli for a remarkably chilling performance.) It is a pretty safe bet that some of the real-life monsters darkening our streets work on the same ideological principles.

Fine, unusually nervous and disquieting music by the great Ennio Morricone.

Great great stuff!

[RodrigAndrisan · 14 March 2017]

This movie has 3 super-heavy guys, 3 sacred monsters of the 7th Art: Jean-Paul Belmondo (in the role of Commissioner Letellier and producer of the film), Henri Verneuil (director and author of the screenplay) and Ennio Morricone (who doesn't needs no other specification, he is the one guilty of that obsessive piano accompanied by an even more obsessively whistle). It is a high class action film, Belmondo makes one of his best roles, plus all his stunts, as usual(exceptional scenes on the Galeries Lafayette store rooftop, above the subway running after Marcucci and the spectacular descent from the helicopter) (must be remembered as stuntmen also those 2 legends called Claude Carliez and Rémy Julienne, plus a Romanian stunt, Dan Vieru) (Claude Carliez also directed one movie, another great thriller, made in 1969, with Jean Marais, "Diamond Rush"Le Paria-original title). Another great French actor, Charles Denner, is Belmondo's police colleague, inspector Moissac. The Italian actor Adalberto Maria Merli makes a special role as Pierre Valdeck, alias the psychopath Minos. Henri Verneuil is a great French director, who also made masterpieces like "The 25th Hour"(1967) (with the great Anthony Quinn in the role of a Romanian peasant), "The Sicilian Clan"(1969), with Alain Delon, Lino Ventura and Jean Gabin, "The Burglars"(1971), with Jean-Paul Belmondo again and Omar Sharif, "The Serpent"(1973), with Yul Brynner, Henry Fonda and Dirk Bogarde (you can notice that he worked only with great great actors). To be seen and re-seen anytime! If I could, I would give it 11 points...

Jean Paul Belmondo's highlight performance

[searchanddestroy-1 · 13 January 2023]

The most notorious action packed thriller from France that you will be able to see in your life, more than any Jean Paul Belmondo's other movie such as LE CASSE, LE PROFESSIONNEL, or whatever you wish. But this is not my personal favorite, because the topic is too predictable for me, despite the two headed narrative line. The cops track down two villains here, two different villains with absolutely no links between the two of them. That's very unusual but sufficient to deliver so many action, breath taking, jaw dropping scenes, all shot in Paris: roofs, subway...I don't even speak of the sharp dialogues. And the Ennio Morricone's unforgettable score. A milestone in the French movie industry, the best action thriller from France and for eternity.

Good, brisk, if unoriginal thriller

[Phroggy · 31 October 1999]

This one has nothing really new to offer, but is an exemple of >competent, lively filmmaking with good performances by everybody >involved (though obviously right-wing). >vehicle "Code of Silence", by Andrew Davis. Belmondo is his old >tough-guy self, though one might like hime more when he plays >his spunky Parisian self in a more humorous way. At the time, >this kind of movie made lots and lots of money at the box-office >; now they don't do 'em anymore and complains about the lack of >box-office appeals for French films at the local box-office… go >figure. T

Popeye goes to Paris

[RResende · 20 January 2010]

There is a very interesting relation between American and french cinema of the 60'/70'. We all know it began with the new wave guys, first as critics, leading by the remarkable Bazin. They were great in how they put unacknowledged masters, merely considered as competent craftsmen; Hawks, Ray, Hitchcock(!). Than as filmmakers, and that's where things got hot. Godard, the more radical, took us to a self-referential world of cinematic citations. Belmondo was the central character of that Breathless depiction. Curiously, by quoting Americans, the french guided the trends throughout the 60', and made the Americans go after them. But i think the french revolution was thinner than what initially promised (actually as many french revolutions!), and after the excitement of having explicitly oriented to be about films, the enthusiasm vanished. So, way before the end of the 60, the french new wave was, in its original core, worn out. Godard lost babbling about naive idealism, Truffaut, Resnais, Demy... doing their own personal things, actually more interesting (to me) than the original stuff, but totally away from what the new wave wanted. That's when some Americans regained the lead. Coppola, Scorcese, Lucas, of course. But remarkably, we have a trend of action films which are really worth watching. Siegel, Frankenheimer and the incredible Friedkin. Those set the trend for what we have here. So this film is a very curious, and interesting product, a product born from the symbiotic relation between American and french trends. Belmondo is the heritage of the original nouvelle vague, even in his (actually awkward) characterization (the cigarette, the hard boiled posture), as well as the cinematic explicit quoting; right at the beginning, the Jean Gabin bit. So already it is good to watch if you know the context, if you know the references.

But in its core, and from the investors point of view, this is an action flick, that buys the tendencies of action those days and, to my view, does a very good job. It has a plot, which is discard-able, except for the output of the two cops working together (good-bad), and the general feel to it. Some killer, crazy traumatized, and one interesting aspect. The story announces that its very solution is the eyesight. So Minos is a one eyed fellow, who actually gets tracked down when Belmondo proves the glass eye connection. The very first time the killer shows, near the beginning, we have an eye on screen, to show us that. So the hint is that we'll have something in the eye.

And we have that materialized in the action sequences. Here we have some impressive stuff. The trick is to extend the chasing sequences as long as we can, changing sets, changing locomotion medium (foot on roofs, cars in the city, subway/train). One specific long sequence is quite remarkable. It's really well engineered, well integrated in the city, it has carefully framed moments. It's really good fun to watch, and it makes it on a visual way. Usually i don't summarize films, but here i think it's worth looking closer at the scene. *spoilers herein* We have Belmondo surprising Minos, who had just killed another woman. He chases him through rooftops, some shooting moments, acrobatics on top of rooftops, and some delicious glimpses at the city, Paris. Than we have a transition to Lafayette, through a clothing dummies storage, in which the dummies are actually used. We have the Lafayette bit, now we are in public domain. The killer grabs a motorcycle, Belmondo and his partner start the chase in the car. Now we are in the city, ground level, lots on establishing points (remarkably the Paris opera). i enjoyed how they shot the tracking shots inside the chaser's car. At this moment there is another parallel chasing taking place, of an old crook Belmondo was seeking to get. Two other cops follow him while Belmondo still chases the killer. The interesting thing here is how, if you know your Paris, you'll understand through the lines that both chases are close one to the other. So you'll know why at a certain moment Belmondo gives up on the killer to start pursuing his personal vendetta. So he does that, this allows us to refresh the chasing, which by now is already probably 10 minutes long. we have a little bit more of car chase to connect us to the new chased subject, and we get into the subway. Subway and surface trains. Belmondo on the train, tunnels, he gets in, he shoots the guy. End of story. It is complex, it is highly engineered, with a good sense of placement in the city. Belmondo has physical skills, he does his own stunts. This sequence was clearly aiming at the similar car chase of French Connection. That one is fresher, but this one is more complex, it's an extrapolation over the original one. It's worth watching.

My opinion: 3/5