Post-war France embraced all things American, not least its Film Noirs which resulted in three classic heist movies from the 1950's, directed by Jacques Becker, Jules Dassin and Jean-Pierre Melville, the latter having changed his surname from Grumbach in admiration for the author of 'Moby Dick'. His first entry into the genre that he was to make his own sprang from his love of John Huston's masterpiece 'Asphalt Jungle' and he has imbued his variant with typical Gallic irony and finesse. The film has also acquired the reputation of being a precursor to the New Wave with its jump cuts, jazzy score and location shooting.
Bigger budgets and much bigger stars were to come of course but here Melville has a cast prepared to work for peanuts and to be on standby until he could raise more finance to resume filming. Top-billed Isabel Corey was a teenage model when spotted by Melville and he tracked down actor Roger Duchesne, very much persona non grata for his alleged collaboration during the Occupation, whose casting as the title character proved to be a masterstroke. More familiar faces belong to Howard Vernon as a Mr. Big and the excellent Guy Decomble as the Commissaire with whom Bob has a camaraderie that would have been inconceivable in Huston's film.
Melville has the great good fortune to have the services of cinematographer Henri Decae who would become the darling of the New Wave and whose use of natural light and handheld camera are so effective here. The iconic score is by Eddie Barclay who composed for very few films and once again for this director Monique Bonnot provides her editorial skills. Auguste le Breton with his intimate knowledge of the Underworld, makes an invaluable contribution to the script.
A distinct feature of Melville's gangster films is the notion that law makers and law breakers represent both sides of the same coin. In 'Asphalt Jungle' the character of Emmerich refers to criminality as merely 'a left-handed form of human endeavour'. One gets the impression that Huston and Melville were of the same opinion.
Bigger budgets and much bigger stars were to come of course but here Melville has a cast prepared to work for peanuts and to be on standby until he could raise more finance to resume filming. Top-billed Isabel Corey was a teenage model when spotted by Melville and he tracked down actor Roger Duchesne, very much persona non grata for his alleged collaboration during the Occupation, whose casting as the title character proved to be a masterstroke. More familiar faces belong to Howard Vernon as a Mr. Big and the excellent Guy Decomble as the Commissaire with whom Bob has a camaraderie that would have been inconceivable in Huston's film.
Melville has the great good fortune to have the services of cinematographer Henri Decae who would become the darling of the New Wave and whose use of natural light and handheld camera are so effective here. The iconic score is by Eddie Barclay who composed for very few films and once again for this director Monique Bonnot provides her editorial skills. Auguste le Breton with his intimate knowledge of the Underworld, makes an invaluable contribution to the script.
A distinct feature of Melville's gangster films is the notion that law makers and law breakers represent both sides of the same coin. In 'Asphalt Jungle' the character of Emmerich refers to criminality as merely 'a left-handed form of human endeavour'. One gets the impression that Huston and Melville were of the same opinion.