When I rented this, I hadn't realized that I already knew director Jean-Pierre Melville's work. Well, sort of knew. I have very little memory of Le Samourai and absolutely none for Le Doulos, Bob le Flambeur, or Army of Shadows. Even reading their Wikipedia synopses doesn't ring any bells for me. Film noir overload, perhaps? Regardless, thanks to this blog, I shouldn't forget LCR.
The story follows Corey, a recent ex-con; Vogel, a fugitive; and Jansen, an ex-cop. Having received a tip from a corrupt guard shortly before his release, Corey invites the others on a stealthy jewelry store heist reminiscent of Rififi, albeit shorter. Meanwhile, Mattei, the cop whom Vogel escaped, is on the trail, which includes a few bodies.
The title is "explained" at the start of the film with a made-up quotation, attributed to the Buddha, as a metaphor for people being fated to meet. It's true that Corey and Vogel just happen to meet for the first time at a key moment, and while the encounter threatens to turn murderous, they come to trust each other. Still a strange way to encapsulate the theme. And I think Corey already knew Jansen.
The heist actually doesn't happen until the second half if not the third act. Before that, this is largely just about corrupt men getting their bearings. It makes sense that they'd need time to prepare for the job, in addition to shaking off enemies.
The most memorable dialog to my mind comes from the chief of police, who tells Mattei that all grown men, including cops, are "guilty." As I feared, he reiterates his worldview for the last spoken line. That was the moment I knew for sure that this color picture still counts as noir.
You may wonder whether he'd say the same about women. Tough luck: Women are all but absent herein. The only ones I remember are night club showgirls, who don't sing or speak. Move along, Allison Bechdel.
Contemporaries made LCR sound incredibly cool. Maybe it was then, but modern viewers could do with less deliberate pacing. I wouldn't mind a plot that wasn't so easy to summarize as well.
Melville has influenced a lot of directors, particularly in the U.S. and Asia. I notice that the most influenced of them are not my type, or else I haven't tried them yet. I don't think I will. Nor am I keen on taking another chance on Melville, not that I had any more of his works on my queue.
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