Le Doulos ***** (1962, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Serge Reggiani, Jean Desailly) – Classic Movie Review 3802

Writer-director Jean-Pierre Melville’s shadowy, twisting and disturbing 1962 French neo noir gangster thriller Le Doulos is adapted from the novel by Pierre Lesou. It takes its power and modernity from being a profoundly cynical and troubling crime story of dishonour and disloyalty, where, as Melville said, ‘all characters are two-faced, all characters are false.’ There is no honour among thieves here, or is there?

The extremely satisfying, complex back-stabbing plot focuses on two inter-connected gangsters – ex-con burglar Maurice Faugel and police informer Silien – two killings – a revenge murder and cop killing – and two robberies – an earlier break-in and a new jewelry heist gone wrong. It is dazzlingly complicated and amazingly well constructed. Audiences have to keep their wits about them.

Jean-Paul Belmondo stars as gangster Silien, who is a cool but tough-as-nails police informer, who doesn’t mind taking pleasure in beating up (and tying up) a woman. And Serge Reggiani co-stars as his underworld burglar comrade Maurice Faugel, who, having just been released from jail, murders receiver Gilbert Varnove (René Lefèvre) in cold blood with his own gun and steals the break-in loot.

Gilbert had killed Maurice’s girlfriend Arlette to keep her from informing the police. Now Maurice is hunting for the betrayer who put him behind bars. Then Silien brings him the equipment he needs for the new house break-in Maurice is planning the next day with Silien and his other accomplice Rémy (Philippe Nahon).

Jean Desailly plays the dogged, none-too-nice police inspector, Superintendent Clain, determined to get his man after a cop is shot dead during an attempted escape.

Also notable in the cast are Philippe Nahon as Rémy, Monique Hennessy as Thérèse, Phillipe March as Jean and Michel Piccoli as another prominent and devious gangster Nuttheccio.

The downsides of the film are the unnecessary overloads of stagey conversation in Melville’s otherwise sharp screenplay, some cheap and tatty looking sets and back projections that upset carefully built credibility and the reality of the gangster milieu, and some performances and imagery that seem and look fake. Occasionally, Melville’s direction lacks urgency, at other times it bristles with urgency. It always has style though, in bucket loads.

In Bogart-style trenchcoat and hat, Belmondo is posing, and his performance suspect, but nevertheless he is cool and compelling. Reggiani, though, is tremendous, weasly, ratty and real in an excellent performance, in many ways the main role. Most of the smaller roles are played by actors who fit like the tightest leather glove.

When it sticks to its great gangster story, the movie too is great, with its enticingly involved and involving plotting, and its delicious, ironic final double twist. And the exterior filming is sharp, noir and exciting, with Nicolas Hayer’s outstanding black and white cinematography stylish, imaginative and eye-catching.

Though popular with French audiences on original release, it failed to receive its due critically back then. It may not quite be a masterpiece of French cinema or Melville’s best gangster movie, but it is absolutely riveting none the less, making an extraordinary impact.

It was released in a dubbed English-language version in cinemas as The Finger Man, but since the Sixties all video and DVD releases use the French title, which is both a kind of hat and French slang for a police informant.

Le Doulos was shot at Studios Jenner, Rue Jenner, in Paris between April and June 1962. It was released in Italy on 13 December 1962 and in Paris on 8 February 1963.

Its UK debut was at the French Film Festival in June 1966.

The movie is beloved by Quentin Tarantino, who cites its screenplay as his favourite and says it is a big influence on his debut movie Reservoir Dogs as a heist gone wrong thriller. It is also Martin Scorsese’s favourite gangster movie.

It is re-released in the UK on 11 August 2017 in a new 4K restoration. It is part of a six-film Melville DVD box set released on 9 October 2017.

The cast are Jean-Paul Belmondo as Silien, Serge Reggiani as Maurice Faugel, Jean Desailly as Commissaire Clain, René Lefèvre as Gilbert Varnove, Philippe March as Jean, Fabienne Dali as Fabienne, Monique Hennessy as Thérèse, Carl Studer as Kern, Jacques De Leon as Armand, Paulette Breil as Anita, Philippe Nahon as Remy, and Michel Piccoli as Nuttheccio.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3802

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