Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Raetsonwe Redundant and unnecessary.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

rodrig58 A movie I've seen several times when I was a kid, I was only 9 years old, I liked it very much then, I nearly wept when they put Letitia (Joanna Shimkus) dead in the diving suit, and let it drop to the seabed, the scene is impressive even now (May 2016). All the underwater filming is cool. Delon? He appears in the famous trench, with dark glasses, like in Le Samouraï but is not at the same height of the character Jef Costello. Anyway, it's not bad. Ventura is natural as ever. Shimkus is tidy and nice. Serge Reggiani he's credible too. The music of François de Roubaix, as usual impressive, increases the dramatic value. Robert Enrico, who gave us the Boulevard du Rhum(1971)(with the same Lino Ventura) and Le vieux fusil(1975), two other good movies, is a honorable film director. Not outdone José Giovanni, another heavy of the French cinema, here the author of the script and dialogues, after his own novel.

Boris_Day On my last trip to Germany, I was amazed to pick up the brand new Blu-ray release of a favourite film of mine, Robert Enrico's 1967 film Les Aventuriers (original English release title The Last Adventure). Whenever I'm asked which I think is the most underrated, most unjustly forgotten about film, my answer is Les Aventuriers. To my knowledge the film has only been available on DVD in France without any subtitles. This is a film I've been desperate to see again since I caught it several times on TV in my childhood. Last night I finally watched the film again and it still lived up to my memories. Before I continue I have to say that like so many German releases, this only has optional German subtitles (German title Die Abenteurer) , so the release is only suitable for French and German speakers. Hopefully as there now is an excellent HD transfer available, this means that the film will get released in other countries. Still, I want to write a little bit about the film, because it was the first film I saw that made a huge impression on me. As the title hints at, this is (at least in part) an adventure film headlining stars Alain Delon and Lino Ventura. Apparently the reason why this film has been forgotten about is because it had nothing to do with the French New Wave which made headlines around the world in the 60s, being a classically made genre film. That said, its central romantic triangle and shifts of plot, tone and genres would have been perfectly at home in a Nouvelle Vague film. At the heart of the Les Aventuriers is the engaging interplay between its three leads; Delon, Ventura and the beautiful, likable Joanna Shimkus, who had a promising, if all too brief career in the 60s and early 70s (since her retirement, she's mainly been known as Mrs Sidney Poitier). The films next asset is a plot that constantly turns unexpected corners. There are shifts of tone which the film navigates brilliantly, as it moves from lighthearted comedy, to globe trotting adventure, towards a melancholy last act that pulls the rug from under ones feet. Two thirds into the story, what has been a light hearted comedy adventure so far turns unexpectedly dark and serious, heading towards a downbeat, heartbreaking ending. But then that's exactly the reason why the film has stayed with me and has haunted me ever since. As to the premise, Shimkus plays a young sculptress who sets up her studio in Ventura's drag racing garage after meeting him collecting scrap metal for her art pieces. Ventura's best friend is Delon, a stunt pilot. Though only subtly hinted at, it becomes clear that both men are attracted to the girl, but neither makes a move out of respect for the other. The girl also is sensitive to the men's friendship, so they have an unspoken agreement for their relationships remain platonic. By not going down the expected romantic route, the film becomes a touching portrait of an equal three way friendship. Instead of jealousies that would have ensued had the girl hooked up with one of the guys, the three friends look out for, care for and support each other. To not become a conventional love story is unexpected for a film that throws France's most handsome male movie star and a beautiful girl into the mix. And that's just the first of many unexpected turns the film has up its sleeve. When each of the friends suffers a major setback in their individual ventures, they decide to travel to the Congo, where they have found out is a treasure in a sunken plane, due to Delon's dealings with shady business people. There the adventure begins and the film becomes increasingly more unpredictable as our three heroes move into dangerous territory. Two more aspects that really enhance the film are the beautiful widescreen cinematography by Jean Boffety, as the film moves from a grey suburban Paris, to a sun drenched Africa, to a bleak Southern France. The use of locations is fantastic, with France being far from the glamorous place of Hollywood films, but grey and dismal, in stark contrast to the sun drenched, colourful African scenes. The tremendously stylish score by François de Roubaix is another major asset, with a memorable, whistled theme tune. Hopefully the fact that the film has been released on Blu in one country will mean that it will become available in other territories. A cult film in Germany, France and Japan, this film is deserving a re-discovery in this country too.

Zork G. Hun (trixter-2) A cult classic. My personal first of cult movies. I had friends who saw it over 30 times and I clearly remember its last screening in Hungary. Ignoring all fire regulations, the manager of the theatre let in everybody who showed up. I was standing in a crowd. Like all cult movies, it speaks the angst of its time. It does not really matter what it is about, what matters is how it feels. It is difficult for me to judge it now because it still touches me and I do not know how much of that is just the nostalgic longing for the angst of my youth. Neither do I know if it is possible for someone who did not live through the sixties to relate to it. Or if it can talk to American viewers. Cult movies can seldom be called cinematographic achievements; you will seldom find them in the books of film history, but if you want to understand the times they represent, nothing can replace them. This IS the movie of the sixties just as Easy Rider was the movie of the seventies.A definite must see.

jrhietpas The film has many pleasures - a wonderful score, a barnstorming biplane, a funny car (with an even funnier-looking driver), a Paris art show, and a nifty fortress in the middle of the ocean. Alain Delon is always a pleasure to watch. He plays the arrogant, handsome daredevil with a heart of gold quite convincingly. His acting is always intense, even when he is doing very little. Lino Ventura is terrific as well, and he and Delon are a great pair. Upon reflection their relationship makes little sense (since we are given no history of the two) but it hardly matters when one is watching the film. The relationship between the two men and Laetitia (Joanna Shimkus)is a bit odd but sweet and believable. The locations are wide ranging (Paris, Africa, coastal France) and this film is full of exciting and droll scenes: The discovery of the sunken airplane is beautiful and scary; Roland and Manu walking out of the casino in their suave duds and getting into Roland's tow-truck is hilarious. The greatest pleasure of the film is that the narrative does not necessarily go where one would imagine it would. The version I saw was widescreen and the subtitles were mostly in the lower black of the letterboxing, which made them very easy to read. If you're in the mood for a little bit of action with a lot of good characterization and acting, check this one out.PS: The French seem pretty hung up with threesomes, no?