Featured Audience Ratings

• Universal D

  
  The French Resistance is where this examination begins but there's not a single scene showing a train being blown up or lines being furtively cut in the dead of night ... rather it's a look at the interior damage wrought when choosing to resist tyranny at all, the isolation,… More
  The French Resistance is where this examination begins but there's not a single scene showing a train being blown up or lines being furtively cut in the dead of night ... rather it's a look at the interior damage wrought when choosing to resist tyranny at all, the isolation, the loneliness, the agonizing fear of trusting yourself. Must see.

• Randy T

  
  Unembellished and matter-of-fact. Melville masterfully spotlights the French Resistance without martyring the Nazi regime that spawned it.

• danny d

  
  a great depiction of french resistance, melville blends substance with his usual stylistic approach. the film falters at many points with a lack of clarity and direction to the shifty plot, and the film is almost entirely without emotion, but it has striking images and flawless… More
  a great depiction of french resistance, melville blends substance with his usual stylistic approach. the film falters at many points with a lack of clarity and direction to the shifty plot, and the film is almost entirely without emotion, but it has striking images and flawless direction in its portrayal of horrific events. overall very good film.

• El Hombre I

  
  Heroism to Melville isn't the pretty picture Hollywood gives us in its' sanitized war films. This is a grim film where those pursuing a noble cause don't have the opportunity to even enjoy it as they must be prepared for the possible worst. Melville's filmmaking… More
  Heroism to Melville isn't the pretty picture Hollywood gives us in its' sanitized war films. This is a grim film where those pursuing a noble cause don't have the opportunity to even enjoy it as they must be prepared for the possible worst. Melville's filmmaking style is slow and deliberate giving the viewer an anti-heroic account of the early days of French resistance to the Nazi Occupation which is both restrained and terrifyingly tense. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=armyofshadows_web.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/armyofshadows_web.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Bruce B

  
  This Movie is from the Criterion Collection, Spine Number 385. This movie was made 39 years ago, and was voted best film of 2006. About the French Resistance during World War II. A true Masterpiece. A Must See. In French with English Subtitles. Only bad part is the German Soliders… More
  This Movie is from the Criterion Collection, Spine Number 385. This movie was made 39 years ago, and was voted best film of 2006. About the French Resistance during World War II. A true Masterpiece. A Must See. In French with English Subtitles. Only bad part is the German Soliders have no subtitles. Will find its way in my collection.

• Michael G

  
  For the most part this movie is nooze fucking city! The first twenty minutes and the last half hour were the only parts of this movie that really had me going. The cinematography had its high points, but that was about it. Between this and Le Samourai, I'm going to make it a… More
  For the most part this movie is nooze fucking city! The first twenty minutes and the last half hour were the only parts of this movie that really had me going. The cinematography had its high points, but that was about it. Between this and Le Samourai, I'm going to make it a point to run in the opposite direction whenever I hear Jean-Pierre Melville's name mentioned.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"Army of Shadows" starts out in 1942 in occupied France as civil engineer Philippe Gerbier(Lino Ventura) is being brought to a prison camp where he is imprisoned with men of almost every nationality. The only other person he considers recruiting to the… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"Army of Shadows" starts out in 1942 in occupied France as civil engineer Philippe Gerbier(Lino Ventura) is being brought to a prison camp where he is imprisoned with men of almost every nationality. The only other person he considers recruiting to the French Resistance is a young Communist but before they can finalize their escape plans, Gerbier is transferred to the Gestapo. While waiting at Gestapo headquarters with another prisoner, Gerbier makes a daring escape.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]In Marseilles, Gerbier is the chief of a resistance cell that includes Felix(Paul Crauchet), Le Bison(Christian Barbier) and new recruit Le Masque(Claude Mann). Together, they share the unpleasant task of killing a traitor to the cause. Later, Felix meets an old friend, an ex-pilot, Jean-Francois(Jean-Pierre Cassel), and recruits him to the Resistance.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Army of Shadows" is a very compelling epic thriller about the French Resistance during World War II, told from different points of view. The movie wisely chooses to focus on the everyday details of the characters' non-glamorous heroics, thus giving the movie an honest and authentic feel. [/font]

• John B

  
  Incredible tale of the Resistance which wasn't available for viewing in North America until a few years ago but was still considered one of the best films of the year when it was finally released. An intricate story that involving patriots and those who snitch on them..with… More
  Incredible tale of the Resistance which wasn't available for viewing in North America until a few years ago but was still considered one of the best films of the year when it was finally released. An intricate story that involving patriots and those who snitch on them..with graphic results.

• Chris B

  
  Melville's L'Armee des ombres (Army in the Shadows) is a sad and truly realistic film about the French Resistance fighters of WW II. It notes and graphically shows their struggles and the everyday risks that they take in order to stand up to the Germans. The film… More
  Melville's L'Armee des ombres (Army in the Shadows) is a sad and truly realistic film about the French Resistance fighters of WW II. It notes and graphically shows their struggles and the everyday risks that they take in order to stand up to the Germans. The film isn't an action heavy one but more of a fleshing out of day to day lives and missions of the Resistance Fighters. While there are some scenes of extreme brutality and images of the results of torture on our heroes. In the end, the film feels very personal and tells the stories of the men and women (the incredible Mathilde played by Simone Signoret) and the lengths they went to in order to stand up for themselves and their country. Recommended!

• Alec B

  
  More films need to be made about the French Resistance during WWII. It shows that war with all the moral complexities that really existed. The fact that it is seen as the "good war" is a preposterous notion. People on all sides did some really fucking terrible things in the… More
  More films need to be made about the French Resistance during WWII. It shows that war with all the moral complexities that really existed. The fact that it is seen as the "good war" is a preposterous notion. People on all sides did some really fucking terrible things in the name of their country. As for the film, its a meticulously crafted thriller that keeps you on your toes at all times.

• Dimitris S

  
  The price of espionage troops.Ventura,Signoret,Meurisse,the all-star cast of Melville was ready to drum the front-line of A-class film-making,of which the remains of it some decades later are distant echoes,entangled subplots,why...I'll admit only Hitler was missing!

• Tom S

  
  Some really beautiful photography, but it just never pulled me in.

• MJS M

  
  After a disastrous release in France, this Jean-Pierre Melville film was never distributed abroad and it lingered in obscurity until it finally got an American theatrical release two years ago and was distributed on DVD by Criterion. With that release it got a major critical… More
  After a disastrous release in France, this Jean-Pierre Melville film was never distributed abroad and it lingered in obscurity until it finally got an American theatrical release two years ago and was distributed on DVD by Criterion. With that release it got a major critical re-discovery and was hailed the best movie of 2006 by a few smart-ass critics. It's great to see this was re-discovered as it really is a great film, and one of the best looks at a resistance movement I've seen on film. A great thriller that reminded me a lot of The Conformist, and probably a predecessor of the 70's paranoid thriller.

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