Yogi's Movie Consumption Blog

An ex-convict is lured into planning a big robbery of a jewelry store. From a plot standpoint of view, there are many things in the film that don't add up too clearly. Some of the motivations of the characters eluded me and there are quite a few incidents that seemed a bit deus ex machina towards the end of the movie. But that doesn't matter at all, the films strange pacing and strong atmosphere sucked me in completely. Melville seems to explore the thin lines between those who break the law and the others who uphold it. There are many hints during the film that this boundary is even more blurred than one would think at the beginning. All the principals in the tale don't seem to have much choice as they stumble towards their inevitable fate. I thought it quite amusing that the police men trust each other much less than the criminals - they seem to bond immediately, no questions asked (literally). The first scene is quite captivating and it seems to play out the film...

A convicted felon threatens to commit suicide by jumping off a high building. While a detective tries to talk him out of it, his real motives emerge. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to connect with this film - it is a solid action/thriller/heist mix, but for me the characters weren't very deep. Cinematography, editing and music were all well done, and the visual language appropriate for such a film. Some random thoughts of mine: The protagonist Nick and his ex-police partner Mike have an ambiguous relationship. At one point it's clear that Nick doesn't trust Mike anymore. His back story is credible, because he actually presents his wife to Nick, giving him a reason to abandon his co-worker for his family. This is also the core moral of the movie: "Don't trust anybody but family" Detective Mercer's back story is dropped in hints and bits by Nick and her co-workers. This lead to a long bunch of exposition during the first part of the movie, when ...