Film Review
With
Canicule, director Yves Boisset pushes
the crime-thriller genre in some unexpected directions and creates a work which is both
original and unsettling, although somewhat less effective than some of his earlier hard-boiled
policiers. The rural setting, and Lee Marvin's
presence, gives the film the feel of a classic Hollywood western, something which makes
the film's level of violence slightly more acceptable than it might have been.
Many of Boisset's later thrillers (
Espion, lève-toi,
Le Prix du danger)
have a bitter, twisted edge to them and this
is certainly apparent in
Canicule.
It is possible - though only just - to enjoy this film as a black comedy.
The situation is so bizarre, the behaviour of the characters so eccentric, that it is
hard to take the film seriously if it were not intended as an overt parody or carefully
contrived send-up of the American-style thriller.
There is also a serious side to the film, in that it implies there are no clear moral divisions between criminals and
apparently law-abiding citizens. The behaviour of the country folk, locked in their
cosy little microcosm, is every bit as damnable as that of the ruthless gangster Jimmy
Cobb. But whereas the latter has a purity of intent that gives him a kind of heroic
charm, the former are utterly contemptible because their nastiness seems to be without
explanation. Jimmy Cobb's presence on the farm does not corrupt the simple
folk he encounters; instead, his arrival provides the catalyst which allows the worse
side of their characters to assert itself, with disastrous consequences. This is
most apparent in the young boy Chim whose cynical manipulation of the situation at the
end of the drama is the most worrying thing that Boisset has to show us. It is a
depressingly grim view of human nature but, sadly, it is not without a grain of truth.
© James Travers 2004
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Yves Boisset film:
Bleu comme l'enfer (1986)
Film Synopsis
Jimmy Cobb is an ageing American gangster whose attempt to raid a bank in
Orleans goes badly wrong. Pursued by the police, he manages to escape
to the country with his ill-gotten gains, which he buries in a wheatfield.
He then hides out on a farm belonging to an attractive and seemingly good-natured
young woman named Jesicca. The latter offers to help Jimmy evade capture
if he agrees to kill her aggressive husband Horace, whom she has grown to
hate. The farm is also home to Horace's equally odious brother Socrate
and repulsive nymphomaniac sister Ségolène. Then there
is Jessica's son Clim, whom she adores even though he is turning into a wild
and unpredictable thing. Like Jessica, every one of these individuals
is quick to take advantage of the gangster's presence on the farm.
Jimmy is blamed for the murder of two campers, even though Horace is the
culprit. Ségolène has amorous designs on him and Clim
sees him as a ticket to adventure. When the police finally do catch
up with Jimmy, it might be a lucky escape...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.