Film Review
Although his first action thriller,
Classe tous risques, was ill-received by both critics and cinema goers, director
Claude Sautet persevered a made a second film in the same genre, again with Lino Ventura
in the lead role. That film,
L'Arme à gauche, proved an even
bigger flop than its predecessor and was the last film of its kind which Sautet made.
In the following decades, the director found much greater success with his low-key sentimental
dramas, including the masterful
Les Choses de la vie (1969),
César et Rosalie (1972) and
Un Coeur en hiver (1992).
L'Arme à gauche is adapted from Charles Williams' potboiler novel Aground
and is, as action thrillers go, not a bad example of its genre. It boasts
an impressive cast, and also some excellent location photography which gives it
more visual impact than most French policiers of this era.
After a slow start, in which the main characters are introduced to us in typically Sautet-esque
fashion, the film suddenly switches gear at around its mid-point, taking us into the film's
suspenseful final forty minutes. Lino Ventura is - as ever - magnificent
as the tough (but by no means infallible) good guy, his unconventional looks making him
a welcome change from the familiar pretty boy action hero. Leo Gordon plays the
principal villain of the piece, the gun-toting Morrison - a stereotypical bad guy
which the actor manages to bring a sinister edge to.
For those who are familiar with Sautet's later films,
L'Arme à gauche will come as something
of a surprise. There is a hint of romance between the male and female leads but
for the most part this is a conventional, cold-blooded thriller. Here, the aim of
the game is not to cope with one's emotional crises but simply to stay alive for
as long as possible...
© James Travers 2004
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Claude Sautet film:
Les Choses de la vie (1970)
Film Synopsis
Whilst staying in the Caribbean, sailor Jacques Cournot, is hired by businessman Hendrix
to check out a luxury yacht the latter is planning to buy. Shortly after Cournot
gives Hendrix his report, the yacht goes missing, at the same time as a violent storm
hits the area. Initially suspected by the police of having stolen the yacht, Cournot
is employed by the yacht's owner, Mrs Osborne, to find it. With the help of
a friend who owns a hydroplane, Cournot and Osborne eventually trace the missing
yacht, which has run aground offshore. When they board the stranded boat, Cournot
and Osborne are surprised to find Hendrix and a band of gunrunners, led by the murderous
Morrison. The latter threatens to kill the newcomers unless they help to
get the yacht and its cargo of ammunition to the coast…
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.