Juve contre Fantomas (Feuillade, 1913)

The sinister Fantomas robs a train, tricks a lady, but Inspector Juve is onto him.

The tableau like cinematography is quite interesting, although not always very helpful to the story, since many of the shots are re-used which can be a bit confusing. Possibly there were budget restrictions. The Fantomas actor, René Navarre, makes a very impressing figure on screen.

The train accident are fabulous and many of the details in the story and the picture still hold up pretty well. This might not be the godfather of all crime movies, but there is a certain quality in pacing that I felt similarly in watching the first episode of "Breaking bad".

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