Made in U.S.A. (1966)

89% of critics liked it
(18 reviews)
57% of users liked it
(1,605 ratings)

Jean-Luc Godard directed this brightly colored, pop-art homage to American crime cinema, which somehow finds room for extended commentary on leftist politics and the corrupt nature of advertising. Paula Nelson (Anna Karina) is a mystery woman (Is she a reporter? Perhaps a spy?) who used to be… More Jean-Luc Godard directed this brightly colored, pop-art homage to American crime cinema, which somehow finds room for extended commentary on leftist politics and the corrupt nature of advertising. Paula Nelson (Anna Karina) is a mystery woman (Is she a reporter? Perhaps a spy?) who used to be involved with Richard, a man who is now an outspoken Communist and has been linked to the murder of a foreign agent. Paula wants to silence Richard before he starts making trouble for her, but she can't find much hard evidence that's he's still alive outside of a recently discovered tape recorder that plays his recorded rants on current political issues. While speaking with Typhus (Ernest Menzer), a small time hood who knows about Paula's relationship with Richard, shots ring out and suddenly Typhus is dead. As Paula tries to find a way to get rid of the body, she tries to discover who killed him and why, as a pair of lackadaisical hoods (Laszlo Szabo and Jean-Pierre Leaud) follow her around Paris. Filled with references to American genre cinema and dedicated to Samuel Fuller and Nicholas Ray, Made In U.S.A. was the last film Godard would make with his one-time wife and frequent collaborator Anna Karina, and it was filmed simultaneously with another feature Godard released in 1966, 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her. The admittedly flimsy plot was loosely adapted from the novel The Jugger by Donald E. Westlake (published under the pseudonym Richard Stark); Westlake wasn't paid for the rights, and he prevented the film from being released in the United States until after his death in 2008. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Jean-Luc Godard
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Dec 3, 1966 Wide
On DVD: Jul 21, 2009

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Gorgeous, minor, and pivotal.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
In terms of Godard's body of work, the 1966 film is as challenging as it is important.
A.O. Scott, New York Times
If Made in U.S.A doesn't merit a place, with Weekend and Band of Outsiders, on the Godard's Greatest Hits compilation, it is still a great lost B side.
J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Jean-Luc Godard's Made in U.S.A. is not the celluloid holy grail, but it's close enough.
Dan Jardine, Cinemania
The film takes the premise for an interesting 15 minute short, and tries to turn it into a 90 minute feature, and stretch marks are evident in almost every scene
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
This is Godard redefining image in his uniquely cheeky spontaneous pop art style.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
While in theory it all sounds very interesting and intriguing and, well, Godardian, the whole never really comes together
Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis
A celebration of cinephilia and a blueprint of the writer/directors obsessions, personal and political.
Fernando F. Croce, Slant Magazine
The DVD release of this bold, long-unavailable tour de force should be an event to Godard-heads everywhere.
Fernando F. Croce, Slant Magazine
Godard's films are records (documentaries, even) of personal interests, ecstasies, and agonies at a particular time in the artist's life.
Chris Cabin, Filmcritic.com
The fresh bombast of U.S.A.'s abnormal groove may not measure up to the other elaborate, beautiful contraptions that were made in Godard's peak years, but it makes many current films look stagnant, if not outright dated.
Stan Hall, Oregonian
Few filmmakers can match Godard's abilities with color, composition and movement.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Godard fires dozens of ideas at the audience, and switches weapons in mid-stream, but if you only pick up a few ideas along the way, then Made in U.S.A. has succeeded.
Keith Uhlich, House Next Door
The foreground drama ends on a query, while the Gallic hills and highways stretch to eternity. FIN.
Wade Major, Boxoffice Magazine
In a time of severe economic uncertainty, it's questionable whether even the most esoteric of New Wave adherents will want to wallow in this kind of Godardian excess -- though it's also quite possible that the film has never been more timely.
Armond White, New York Press
Made in U.S.A. is a tonic experience; its style is both vibrant and severe like Godard's 1985 Detective. But it's also Godard's most soulful movie.
David Fear, Time Out New York
It's still essential for those interested in watching the filmmaker take cinema to new levels of allusion and modernist game playing.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
While not one of Godard's best films, Made in U.S.A. does have its moments, many of them comic, such as the absurd dialogue in the bar scenes.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jim H

Toward the beginning of this film, I thought, "Wow: Godard hasn't completely eschewed the idea of using a plot to reveal characters through action and make their decisions reflect whatever political/philosophical point he wants to share." Then, that fucking radio voice… More
Toward the beginning of this film, I thought, "Wow: Godard hasn't completely eschewed the idea of using a plot to reveal characters through action and make their decisions reflect whatever political/philosophical point he wants to share." Then, that fucking radio voice spouting socialist propaganda appeared again, and I almost hurled my remote control through the television. But I didn't, dear friends. No, my television remains unfettered by a remote control sticking through its screen. What did I really do when Godard reverted to using his radio voice? I slumped in my chair. I played Blackjack on my iPhone. I waited for it all to be over - like a root canal or a conversation with my grandmother. On a gem-within-a-pile-of-shit/looking-on-the-bright-side note, I liked the subtle post-structuralism here: the characters frequently refer to the fact that they're in a film, and some of the landmarks are named after famous film directors. This is how I think post-structuralism is effective. The mystery plot, which I suspected might dominate the film's action, is almost unintelligible. I normally try to guess the culprit, but even at the end I didn't know who did it. The main problem with the film is that by that point I didn't care. I'm just happy I got blackjack.
danny d

godards noir-comedy is solid but not without its problems. the film lacks the engaging dialogue that i expect from a godard film, and despite its short running time the film wastes a lot of time on silliness that makes for barely enough time to develop the mystery, which was… More
godards noir-comedy is solid but not without its problems. the film lacks the engaging dialogue that i expect from a godard film, and despite its short running time the film wastes a lot of time on silliness that makes for barely enough time to develop the mystery, which was underdeveloped severely. the characters were interesting enough and the quirkiness of the film kept me drawn in, but the film is only slightly above average and fairly forgettable.
Anthony L

Not one of Godard's best and easy to see why it's/his style has been mocked ever since. It's politic and sociological humour is a little blurred and it could/can/has been dismissed as an experimental 'French Farce'. Shame, as it's visually beautiful. Very… More
Not one of Godard's best and easy to see why it's/his style has been mocked ever since. It's politic and sociological humour is a little blurred and it could/can/has been dismissed as an experimental 'French Farce'. Shame, as it's visually beautiful. Very of it's time but it hasn't aged well, Godard is so much better than this.
Ken S

Not my favorite Godard, but worth watching if you are a fan. Great colors and central performance make this sometimes bracing film quite watchable.
Eric B

I've loved some other '60s Godard films, but this one disappointed me. Supposedly an arch remake of "The Big Sleep," "Made in U.S.A." had its "U.S.A." release delayed for decades due to the story rights not being properly cleared. But… More
I've loved some other '60s Godard films, but this one disappointed me. Supposedly an arch remake of "The Big Sleep," "Made in U.S.A." had its "U.S.A." release delayed for decades due to the story rights not being properly cleared. But you'll have to do some brainwork to assemble a plot from this erratic collection of scenes. The film appears to have been shot very quickly and cheaply, and the actors just perfunctorily rattle through their lines as if they're in a hurry to get to the next location. Typically for Godard, there are frequent disruptions of cinematic reality, as characters have names taken from movie history (Ruby Gentry, Donald Siegel, Richard Widmark) and sometimes speak directly into the camera. Music lovers won't want to miss a bar scene about 20 minutes into the action, where a young, ethereal Marianne Faithfull croons "As Tears Go By" a capella. Not onstage -- just casually sitting in a corner booth.