Cavale (2002) - film review

Bruno Le Roux, an extreme left-wing activist, escapes from jail and intends to resume his campaign of terror against French capitalism.  But things have changed greatly during the 15 years he has been locked away.   His former partner Jeanne has become a respectable schoolteacher, with a husband and children; she wants nothing of the life he now offers her.  With another of his erstwhile associates dead, killed by the police, Bruno has no option but to carry on his struggle alone…

Cavale is a masterfully composed film noir which belongs to a trilogy of three films directed by Lucas Belvaux.  The idea is that the storylines of the three films run in parallel, overlapping at various points, thus giving an unusual sense of depth and realism to the film’s protagonists.  The other two films in the trilogy are: Un couple épatant and Après la vie (2002).

Cavale stands out as by far and away the best film in the trilogy.  As a film in its own right, it is a compelling, stunningly realised work, and very probably the best French thriller for over a decade.  It is the latest in a long and distinguished line of hard-edged existentialist thrillers in French cinema, and it bears comparison with some of the finest examples of the genre, including Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï (1967).

Whilst respecting the conventions of film noir, Lucas Belvaux doesn’t slavishly follow an existing, well-established format.  Perhaps the most surprising thing about Cavale is its sense of realism and its humanity.  Unlike the vast majority of thrillers, the film has believable characters, with real lives, real failings, real emotions, and this adds to the film’s relentless tension and darkly oppressive mood.

As well as directing the film, Belvaux takes the leading role – reportedly because he was unable to find anyone suitable to play the part.  His portrayal of the obsessive activist Bruno is harrowingly real – there’s more than a hint of psychosis, yet we also see a glimmer of compassion.  Belvaux’s co-stars are just as impressive, particularly Catherine Frot, who gives one of her best dramatic performances to date in an emotionally challenging role.

The most striking thing about Cavale, however, is its hugely effective cinematography, which alternates between the chillingly atmospheric and the hauntingly poetic. Familiar situations are interwoven with shockingly brutal crime scenes, adding further layers of grim menace and tragedy to a tense drama.   Watching this film after the comparatively whimsical comedy Un couple épatant merely emphasises the dark undercurrents in this film, particularly when seemingly innocuous scenes in that other film are revealed to be much more significant than we first thought…

© James Travers 2006

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