SECOND BREATH, THE (director: Jean-Pierre Melville; cast: Lino Ventura (Gus), Paul Meurisse (Inspector Bleu), Raymond Pellegrin (Paul Ricci), Christine Fabr=E9ga (Manouche), Marcel Bozzuffi (Joe Ricci), Raymond Loyer (Jacques le notaire), Paul Frankeur (Inspector), Pierre Zimmer (Karloff), 1966-France)
An intricate film noir, about a hardened criminal, Gus (Lino), who escapes after serving 16- years on a murder charge, and returns to his hometown in Marseilles, to make contact with his sister, Manouche (Fabr=E9ga), and get revenge on a crime boss, Joe Ricci (Bozzuffi), who double-crossed him. It is filmed with calm detachment, in black-and- white, giving the film a taut look, as the action is sharp and ruthless, by men who are all business.
Gus is a troubled, desperate 46-year-old, snake-bitten his whole life, he now needs some fast money and another country to go to. But first, while visiting his sister, he runs into a couple of mobsters trying to shake her down, as he disposes of them, he learns of the hit done by Joe Ricci, against Jacques le notaire (Loyer), his sister's friend, which took place in his sister's bar. All this is done in order to frighten Manouche, so that Joe Ricci can get her out of business.
Inspector Bleu (Meurisse) investigates the crime in Manouche's bar, suspecting that Gus is hiding out with his sister's help. In fact, he shows himself to be very perceptive about what is going on among the various crime gangs in Marseilles, as he begins laying a trap to catch Gus, his main concern, at the moment.
Paul Ricci (Pellegrin) is at this time planning a Brink's heist of a million dollar platinum shipment, and he needs 4 men to do the job, but one of the men dies. He asks Karloff (Zimmer) in on the job, but he declines because it involves killing two motorcycle cops, but he recommends Gus to him. Since Gus considers Paul to be the good Ricci brother, he goes along with the heist. The success of the heist in Paris, brings Inspector Bleu there, suspecting Gus is in on that job. He gets lucky back in Marseilles and spots Gus walking in the street, and by having his cops pose as a rival gang, claiming Paul double-crossed them, he uses the trickery of a tape recorder to get the unsuspecting Gus to talk about the heist, who names Paul as the front man.
Gus would rather die than be thought of as a squealer, and the last part of the film becomes increasingly violent and filled with desperation, as he escapes from the police and goes after the men he believes are betraying him.
It is interesting to see how Melville could make a low level hood like Gus, into a seemingly ethical person, that is, within the standards of the criminal mind, and be deemed as an almost sympathetic and, at the same time, pathetic figure, whose crime spree, though unforgiveable, will nevertheless, offer us something about him that is redeeming, that even the wily Inspector Bleu recognizes. This is not great noir, because the acting seemed jarred, but it has a certain tension in it that sustains its somber mood.
REVIEWED ON 4/28/99 GRADE: C+
Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews"
http://www.sover.net/~ozus
=A9 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DENNIS SCHWARTZ
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