GUENOT PHILIPPE
Our friend, the good Du Monteil, the most prolific french IMDb user, has already told much about this film. I won't add much more. I like this one. But what is amusing to point out is that you have here Delon playing a sort of anti fascist cop who fights against a terrific right winged superintendent of the police force. A fierce, brutal, sadistic head cop played by Serrault in a character he certainly was not used to. He is outstanding here. So, you must absolutely know that, in the actual life, it was the contrary. Yes, folks, Serrault was known to be a rather left winged fighter, and Delon...Hmmm. Not a fascist, NO, absolutely not, don't misunderstand me. But everyone knows that Delon has always been a right winged true believer. Delon has always supported army force, weapons of all kinds, not repression, but almost. He is a good friend of an extreme right winged french leader - I won't name him here, but everybody knows him - an old timer who fought in Indochina and Algeria war. And Delon was shot on a picture, back in 1975 during the Zorro shooting, in Spain, just besides Leon Degrelle, the former Belgian fascist leader during WW2. So, you see, when I Watch this film, hmmm...I know you have understood what I mean.
dbdumonteil
.... to watch this movie!And never wake anyone! Artistically,it represents one of the lowest points Alain Delon was to reach.Frederic Fajardie's screenplay (I have not read his novel)is abysmal.And however the subject was vital,considering the rise of the far right which again will be a terrifying threat in France's 2007 elections ,as it was in 2002.The problem lies in the fact that the far-right cops'"ideas" of Pinheiro's film are not well-defined.Their ideology is vague -the commies seem to be their main target (Feodor Atkine's character)-but we do know that their scapegoats are numerous from the Arabs to the Jews to the homosexuals .Here they seem to be baddies,period ;it is as mindless as a Van Damme movie .The plot accumulates violence and killings.The story is full of implausibilities:One of Delon's colleagues is actually one of those villains;unbeknownst to his superior,he takes a break and shoots a guy -Serge Regianni,what a shame to reduce this legendary actor to that- on a merry-go-round.But the dead "strikes back" and goes on killing people on the carousel;no,it's not the return of "stranger on a train"!The ridiculous happy end comes at the most awkward moment or to give Delon a chance to shine ,so to speak.Take to your heels!
