A good movie

I already saw this movie not so long ago but I thought I might as well check it out again. The first time around, since I kept hearing some great things about this flick, I had some rather high expectations. Well, eventually, it turned out to be a fairly realistic but also really stylish crime thriller. Indeed, what I enjoyed the most was the expert directing of Jean-Pierre Melville who managed to deliver such a spellbinding mood without even using some music (except during the heist scene). Well, I’m glad I gave it a second chance because, I have to admit it, the first time around, I did struggle with the story through. Indeed, I thought it was entertaining but there were some stuff that kept bothering me. For example, why would Mattei go with Vogel by train all by himself? It didn't make much sense. Then, there was this combination of two completely different stories, the escape and the heist, which felt rather jarring to me. Finally, there was the fact that, even though you spend more than two hours with these men, you barely learn anything about them after all. Well, while rewatching it, I was able to focus much more on the mood and the behavior of the characters and I didn’t focus so much on the plot since I obviously already knew what would happen and the whole thing was then much more enjoyable. Eventually, the damned thing was just so well made and it is pretty obvious that it must have been a major inspiration for many directors that came afterwards such as Quentin Tarantino for example. Anyway, to conclude, even if it still didn't completely blow me away, it was a fine vintage thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.


7/10