Le Ruffian (1983)
Directed by José Giovanni

Adventure / Comedy

Film Review

Abstract picture representing Le Ruffian (1983)
Lino Ventura and Bernard Giraudeau make a dream team in this American-style adventure film from writer-director José Giovanni.  Despite its somewhat rambling plot and a far from original scenario, the film is worth watching, if only for the stunning photography of one of the most beautiful places on Earth.  Ennio Morricone's score wittily gives the film the feel of a stylish spaghetti western, a sub-genre which shows its influence in a number of Giovanni's films.  Whilst the film passes as a respectable adventure film, the strength of the on-screen rapport between Ventura and Giraudeau makes it function better as a study in friendship and camaraderie.  It is a more human variation on the “honour amongst thieves” motif of the traditional French gangster film, a genre with which Giovanni is intimately associated.
© James Travers 2004
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.
Next José Giovanni film:
La Loi du survivant (1967)

Film Synopsis

Aldo, a middle-aged adventurer, seeks to make his fortune by working in a gold mine in Canada.  One day, the mineworkers are attacked and all but wiped out by a group of armed bandits who intend to steal their gold.  Only Aldo and two Canadian Indians survive the massacre, and in return they kill the bandits.  The trio decide to run off with the gold.  Suspecting his new allies are about to double-cross him, Aldo drives off without them, but he then loses the gold whilst crossing a river.  Determined to recover the gold, Aldo returns to his former home in Montreal and tries to persuade his friends to help him.  His best friend Gérard, a former motorcar-racing driver who lost the use of his legs in an accident, agrees to give his support, along with his wife, Éléonore and another friend John.  Unfortunately, the two Indians whom Aldo betrayed have not given up the gold either…
© James Travers
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: José Giovanni
  • Script: José Giovanni (novel)
  • Cinematographer: Jean-Paul Schwartz
  • Music: Ennio Morricone
  • Cast: Lino Ventura (Aldo), Bernard Giraudeau (Gérard), Claudia Cardinale (La 'baronne'), Béatrix Van Til (Éléonore), Pierre Frag (John), August Schellenberg (Neslon Harting), James Ernest Davis (An Indian), Danyl Wahayenni-Martin (An Indian), Jacklin Webb (Truck driver), Rick Alkerton, Robert Bouchard, Broan Bowron, Mike Bradford, Donald Brown, Lorne Carry, William Collins, George Dalke, Jim Draper, Albert Eggen, Pierre Giard
  • Country: France / Canada
  • Language: French
  • Support: Color
  • Runtime: 108 min

The greatest French film directors
sb-img-29
From Jean Renoir to François Truffaut, French cinema has no shortage of truly great filmmakers, each bringing a unique approach to the art of filmmaking.
The best of Russian cinema
sb-img-24
There's far more to Russian movies than the monumental works of Sergei Eisenstein - the wondrous films of Andrei Tarkovsky for one.
The best of British film comedies
sb-img-15
British cinema excels in comedy, from the genius of Will Hay to the camp lunacy of the Carry Ons.
The best French Films of the 1920s
sb-img-3
In the 1920s French cinema was at its most varied and stylish - witness the achievements of Abel Gance, Marcel L'Herbier, Jean Epstein and Jacques Feyder.
The Golden Age of French cinema
sb-img-11
Discover the best French films of the 1930s, a decade of cinematic delights...
 

Other things to look at


Copyright © frenchfilms.org 1998-2024
All rights reserved



All content on this page is protected by copyright