Featured Audience Ratings

• Randy T

  
  Terrific 'stylized' French noir! (Does anyone else think that Serge Reggiani looks like Mr. Bean?)

• danny d

  
  easily one of the most gripping and fulfilling films i have ever seen. the film has enough twists to fill a lifetime, shifting the direction of the characters so often to keep one glued to the story but no too often so as to confuse. a perfect blend of mystery and suspense with noir… More
  easily one of the most gripping and fulfilling films i have ever seen. the film has enough twists to fill a lifetime, shifting the direction of the characters so often to keep one glued to the story but no too often so as to confuse. a perfect blend of mystery and suspense with noir like lighting and style. one of the best crime dramas ever produced.

• Stella D

  
  a fantastic heist film and the best melville i've seen to date. it's right up there with rififi and the asphalt jungle in my book. jean paul belmondo is tres cool and i never could tell which way it would turn. in beautiful black & white, simply stunning

• Stephen M

  
  This brilliant French film noir is one of Jean-Pierre Melville's explorations of underworld codes of honour. A disorientating examination of duplicity and false appearances, the relationships of the characters are never quite what they seem. This is exemplified by Jean-Paul… More
  This brilliant French film noir is one of Jean-Pierre Melville's explorations of underworld codes of honour. A disorientating examination of duplicity and false appearances, the relationships of the characters are never quite what they seem. This is exemplified by Jean-Paul Belmondo's Silien, who is dazzlingly transformed from one of the most devious, double-crossing villains of the entire film noir genre into one of its most selfless heroes, simply by Melville's clever elucidation of the true nature of the betrayal. My only criticism of the movie is that, because we find out so late in the day of Silien's struggle to reconcile his twin loyalties--to a police detective and an underworld associate: his two best friends--a fascinating aspect of the plot is downplayed in favour of the stunning but shallow twist aforementioned. Beautifully shot in black and white. As ever with Melville, don't expect a happy ending.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]In "Le Doulos", Maurice Faugel(Serge Reggiani) is just out of jail after five years and wastes no time getting reacquainted with his old criminal life by paying a visit to an old friend and becoming involved in a house burglary. But somebody ratted him… More
  [font=Century Gothic]In "Le Doulos", Maurice Faugel(Serge Reggiani) is just out of jail after five years and wastes no time getting reacquainted with his old criminal life by paying a visit to an old friend and becoming involved in a house burglary. But somebody ratted him out to the police, leaving his partner and a detective dead, and him with a bullet in his shoulder. Maurice's list of suspects starts and ends with one name - Silien(Jean-Paul Belmondo).[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Le Doulos" is a hard-boiled noir, atmospheric with all the right touches including a good cast, memorable characters and a cool jazz score. The movie is concerned with there possibly being honor amongst thieves(and a unique sense of justice) but trust is quite another matter. All of which is partially undone by writer-director Jean-Pierre Melville not playing fair with the audience in order to create a little mystery that is very tidily wrapped up before ending with a nice little kicker. The movie would have been better served had it been told exclusively from Maurice's point of view.[/font]

• Ryan M

  
  8.3/10 Jean-Pierre Melville is yet another filmmaker whose work I am just not discovering. He is a French filmmaker, but you probably already knew that by his name. You might also know that many of cinema's great masters came from France. Coincidence? I think not.… More
  8.3/10 Jean-Pierre Melville is yet another filmmaker whose work I am just not discovering. He is a French filmmaker, but you probably already knew that by his name. You might also know that many of cinema's great masters came from France. Coincidence? I think not. Perhaps it is the stylistics of a French film that appeals to so many, me included. I love the works of Jacques Tati, to site one, and so many others. The music works...the visual presentation is usually appealing in its own way. I suppose that Melville, this fascinating new discovery of mine, has his own style and even his own legacy. Some consider him a master, and in time, I might feel the same about this man. "Le Doulos", one of his most acclaimed and universally popular films, is a very deep, very clever, and very entertaining French noir. It tells its story in a believable and somewhat even simplistic way, yet it still leaves a lot to be desired in future thinking sessions. One could analyze the film as a great artistic achievement, because with all due respect, that is what it is. I don't think it's a perfect film, and from what I've heard, I'm not alone in saying that, but it's wonderful nonetheless, and I'd certainly revisit it just to get that good ol' feeling of sheer entertainment and storytelling combined. The premise is simple: a burglar named Maurice (Serge Reggiani) is released from prison, and the first thing he does is make a trip to a friend's house, only to shoot the poor fellow dead, and steal his treasures and jewels (presumably from a previous heist of some sort). After this, Maurice is left thirst for more, more, and more money and riches. He then visits an old friend, Silien (Jean-Paul Belmondo) and shares his plans for the future. He tells Silien of a heist on an old, rich man's estate; which he intends to carry out soon. The trouble here is that Silien is, supposedly, an informant for the police. Maurice could have easily just given him information that could put his life in jeopardy, and land his ass back in jail. He doesn't know it yet, but he will become aware of it soon enough. And when he does, one question remains to be answered: who to trust? Maurice fears that Silien has ratted him out to his friend's that are the police. A lot of it is paranoia, but then again, maybe not. I'll stop there; I shouldn't spoil too much of the film. Good or not, a film should be seen in order for one to fully understand it in terms of its story. I can tell you as much as I can about my opinion, but this is such a good movie, that I wouldn't dare give out too much, in terms of spoilers. I guess one thing that I liked a lot about the film, aside from how it told its brilliant story of deception and manipulation, was the fact that these themes revolved around men in particular. Women have these troubles too; but in "Le Doulos", the women exist as complications to each problem. They could be keeping secrets from certain characters; and information that each one, respectively, needs. The film doesn't have a hero and it doesn't have a villain. You could call each of the two leads anti-heroes, and you might be right; one is greedy, one just wants to do the right thing. But is a lie a crime? The film asks this question among others, and it remains to be answered (in a strict sense). But some questions are not meant to be answered. I liked "Le Doulos" because it left me thinking; no, it HAD me thinking. It had be consistently hooked and interested in its plot, its characters, and the techniques that Melville used to craft the film. I don't watch too many noire films, which may be a cinematic sin; I must watch more. This is not an introduction, I have seen others from the genre, but alas, not enough. This film is recommended if you know what to expect out of most 60's-style noire films, and if you like a good thriller tale, tightly woven and told with depth and detail, but little empathy for its characters, then you might find the film slightly fascinating. It can be slow at times, but I've come to expect that out of films not from my time; but time does not matter. "Le Doulos" has successfully defeated such a great enemy as that.

• Ed Fucking H

  
  An excellent Film Noir of the Gangster persuasion from France by Jean-Pierre Melville. An incredibly layered and complex crime story, where nothing is as it seems and no one is to be trusted. You don't even really know who you should be rooting for throughout the movie, though… More
  An excellent Film Noir of the Gangster persuasion from France by Jean-Pierre Melville. An incredibly layered and complex crime story, where nothing is as it seems and no one is to be trusted. You don't even really know who you should be rooting for throughout the movie, though you might think you do. This was the first film of Melville's that I have seen and I will look forward to seeing more in the future. The influence that Melville had on French cinema in particular and crime films at large is clearly apparent here. Almost 50 years old and most current film makers still can't come close to the complexity and suspense on display here. A must see!

Read all 7 featured audience ratings