Deux hommes dans la ville (1973) - film review

Thanks to the support and influence of a kindly parole officer, Gino Strabliggi is released from prison and has a chance to start a new life.  However, things soon begin to go wrong for him.  First his wife is killed in a car accident and then a ruthless police commissioner, Goitreau, begins to taunt him.  In spite of his parole officer’s continued presence in his life, Gino soon finds himself on the wrong side of the law - and this time he is unlikely to be given another chance...

Deux hommes dans la ville features the third – and arguably the most effective – pairing of two of French cinema’s most iconic of icons, Jean Gabin and Alain Delon.  Both actors give memorable performances which are worthy of their talent and which easily compensate for the film’s weaknesses elsewhere.  Credit should also go to Michel Bouquet for his deliciously cold portrayal of the villainous Goitreau, reminiscent of his Inspecteur Javert in Robert Hossein’s 1982 version of Les Misérables.   Also, young debutants Gérard Depardieu and Bernard Giraudeau appear briefly, each in one of his earliest film roles.

Although it occasionally veers towards caricature and features some shameless bouts of sentimentality, Deux hommes dans la ville is generally an attractive and engaging crime-drama.  It is noticeably far more restrained than Alain Delon’s other policier outings from this period.   The film contains some powerful sequences which make some pretty uncompromising statements against the French judicial system.  In particular, it puts a compelling case for abolishing the death penalty, which was one of the great debating points in France in the 1970s.  (Paradoxically, Delon, renowned for his rightwing politics, expressed his support for the death penalty at around the time was released.)

Because it struck a chord with the public mood, and offered the irresistible Gabin-Delon billing, Deux hommes dans la ville proved to be a hugely popular film.  The film’s success was a welcome boost for its producer (Alain Delon), helping to make up for the failure of his previous productions (Jeff, Madly and Le Professeur ).

© James Travers 2003

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