Movies
French films are always a bit saucier. That's not a bad thing when talking about noirs, which tend to be quite dry and boring. Hands Off the Loot started quite promising, only after a while, the plot slips back into more stereotypical patterns, and apart from a pretty decent finale, it wasn't much better than its American counterparts. The performances are okay and the setting at the start of the film adds some lightness to it, but once the crime elements take center stage it goes downhill pretty fast. There's too much dialogue, too many stern-looking guys trying to act tough, and not enough edge. A French noir in other words.Read all
A prison escape flick that isn't very well-balanced. The minimalistic visuals take away from the tension while the overstated soundtrack makes the whole attempt to escape ridiculous at times. The film is slow, the acting is awkward and Becker simply goes through the motions. Quite painful to sit through.
While the film noir genre is mostly linked to US cinema, the French also had their fair share of representatives. Casque d'Or is considered a noir by many, and its plot certainly fits the description. Stylistically though, I felt this was quite a different beast, especially because of the rural setting. The film is quite light for a noir and the many rural settings don't really help with the tough exterior the genre is known for. The drama/romance elements don't really balance things out either. Simone Signoret is pretty decent, but the rest of the cast isn't on the same level. A pretty dull film.Read all