Un Flic
The French Crime Classic From The True Master Of The Genre
Coleman (Alain Delon) is a burned-out detective who has seen too much pain. His friend Simon (Richard Crenna) is a brilliant thief who fears no law. Between them is the beautiful woman (Catherine Deneuve) they both love. But when Simon plans the ultimate heist of a train full of mob money, the two men find themselves hurtling towards a final showdown of fate, friendship and betrayal.
From the stunning opening bank robbery sequence through its powerful performances, Un Flic is the work of a true master. Known in the U.S. as Dirty Money, this is the final film by the legendary Jean-Pierre Melville (Le Samourai, Bob Le Flambeur), renowned as the creator of the modern gangster movie and credited as a major influence on such directors as John Woo and Quentin Tarantino.
Member Reviews
Slick looking heist movie - OmegaMan
If you enjoy Melville or European crime films of the era you should find enough to like in this movie. The opening bank robbery is great, and Delon is always watchable. Not on the same level as Le Cercle Rouge or Le Samourai, but worth a watch.This would make an interesting double feature with Michael Mann's Heat.Something indeed is missing - Jimmy_Jam
Being a major fan of Melville and Delon, I hate to say that I am disappointed in this film. It is not only for the horrible production value of the film. Honestly, there are parts of this film where the backgrounds look to be cardboard cut-outs and the train sequence is a whole new level of aweful. But, the plot of the film is very flat. I was never drawn into it like his other films, and I realize the plot of many new wave films are not to be totally understood, but this has nothing to do with understanding, it is just lifeless.1.7 stars: felt some pieces missing of something potentially more satisfying - Moir
Thinking about this film, a flick titled 'Un Flic' - its title feeling like a cross language pun that gives me an image to work from in trying to write this.
Is not the slang for a cinema, 'flick', derived from the flicker of the quickly changing projection of still images as they superimpose due to lingering afterimages in the eye-brain that are used to build an impression of movement?
The 'moving picture', the film, results from such images as it goes along, pieces often left behind lingering mostly only in the eye and the short term memory as an impression is built up.
Some of the pieces may be striking but the result feel lacking. Has one missed something? Overlooked a nuance so the full significance of what came later was increasingly missed? Or in the making did the putting together go slightly astray so the intended or needed signficance was not built up? Or were some of the pieces simply inadequate, or boringly cliched to start with ? (It strikes me thinking of this film how the whole can redefine the parts sometimes - or in this case, fail to change the bleak boring light in which they initially seemed to emerge into anything else.)
.. I think it could have been what I would have considered a better film. If only it had been. It is an intriguing question to me what might have made the difference.
Member Reviews
Read All...
Slick looking heist movie - OmegaMan
If you enjoy Melville or European crime films of the era you should find enough to like in this movie. The opening bank robbery is great, and Delon is always watchable. Not on the same level as Le Cercle Rouge or Le Samourai, but worth a watch.This would make ...Something indeed is missing - Jimmy_Jam
Being a major fan of Melville and Delon, I hate to say that I am disappointed in this film. It is not only for the horrible production value of the film. Honestly, there are parts of this film where the backgrounds look to be cardboard cut-outs and the train ...1.7 stars: felt some pieces missing of something potentially more satisfying - Moir
Thinking about this film, a flick titled 'Un Flic' - its title feeling like a cross language pun that gives me an image to work from in trying to write this.
Is not the slang for a cinema, 'flick', derived from the flicker of the quickly changing ...