Le Battant [The Fighter] [Ice] *** (1983, Alain Delon, Anne Parillaud, Pierre Mondy, François Périer, Andréa Ferréol) – Classic Movie Review 5556

The 1983 French crime thriller film Le Battant [The Fighter] [Ice] stars and is directed by Alain Delon.

Alain Delon takes centre stage in an intense, smouldering performance as Jacques Darnay, who is apparently wrongly convicted for stealing diamonds and the murder of a jeweller. After serving eight years, he is released from prison, but followed relentlessly by Inspector Rouxel (Pierre Mondy) and the criminals who are after the jewels that were never found. Where is the cache of stolen diamonds and who is going to get to it first?

Delon also directs and makes it fast moving and hard boiled, while ensuring that there’s a good and gritty atmosphere in this long (121 minutes) but engrossing 1983 French action thriller. It is all Delon’s show, but Mondy, François Périer as club owner Gino Ruggieri, and Anne Parillaud as assistant-turned-mistress Nathalie manage to find space to make a strong impression.

Delon and Christopher Frank, the writing team behind the similar Three Men to Kill and For a Cop’s Hide, adapt a novel by André Caroff.

Also in the cast are Anne Parillaud, François Périer, Andréa Ferréol, and Marie-Christine Descouard.

Alain Delon in Rene Clement’s Joy House aka Love Cage (1964).

Le Battant is made by Adel Productions and T Films, is written by Alain Delon (scenario and adaptation) and Christopher Frank (scenario and adaptation and dialogue), based on a novel by André Caroff, is shot by Jean Tournier, is produced by Pierre Roitfeld, and scored by Christian Dorisse.

The cast are Alain Delon as Jacques Darnay, François Périer as Gino Ruggieri, Pierre Mondy as Inspector Rouxel, Anne Parillaud as Nathalie, Andréa Ferréol as Sylviane Chabry, Marie-Christine Descouard as Clarisse, Michel Beaune as Pierre Mignot, Gérard Hérold as Sauvat, Jean-François Garreaud as Pradier, Richard Anconina as Samatan, and Philippe Castelli as Nestor.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5556

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