
Among the galaxy of geniuses who have donned the Director's cap in Films, there are 3 who occupy a special position in my list of favourites. One is the incomparable Akira Kurosawa and other is an irascible,uncompromising and brilliant Auteur who went by the name of "Bloody Sam" Peckinpah. The last one in this triumvirate might be construed to be a curious selection by some but there is no doubting the coruscating brilliance of Jean-Pierre Melville and the complete control he had over his awe inducing Film Masterpieces.
Melville was evidently inspired by early American Noir classics but his own Films transcend the immediate effect that evocative Noirs have on the viewer. Peerless specialist of the "existential" Crime epic, no one mastered the "Crime Drama" genre and turned it inside out like Melville did.
The opening sequence of this brilliant Crime Film highlights the hold that Melville held over the medium. Three men crouch at the top of a prison building in forbidding darkness, grimly working out the chances of escape. Then follows a chain of events that is jaw droppingly brilliant in its precise cinematic execution, its slow escalation of hysterical tension and economy of movement.
Like his celebrated "Le Samourai" and "Le Cercle Rouge", this Film is the epitome of a "minimalistic Epic." Hunched shoulders, trench coats and wide brimmed hats appear frequently on the screen, adorning persons navigating with intent; thereby hinting at pre-occupation with problems that will take some solving. The Melvillian protagonist is a curious animal: ostensibly a simple,ruthless Criminal but one that swears by peculiar personal codes of loyalty, honesty and professionalism. His matter-of-fact, pre-occupied demeanour is consistent with the dour shadow of fatalism that pervades the Melvillian universe.
But the thing that makes a Melville Film such an aural and visual delight is his construction of impeccable set piece sequences. The Heist sequence in this Film is one of many highlights in a distinguished career.
Melville was also blessed with some of the best Actors going around at the time. The protagonist's role was tailor made for Lino Ventura. Eyes conveying brooding intensity and a mask of a face hinting at a raging inferno underneath; Ventura scorches the screen. Marcel Bozzuffi (Of "The French Connection" fame) and the redoubtable Paul Meurisse (Remember "Les Diaboliques"?) add depth and vitality to their respective roles.
A MUST-WATCH for any Cinephile.