Don't Believe the Hype

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Alain Delon has a record as a thief, despite the fact the police do not have enough against him to keep him in stir. So Alain lives and works and struggles like other people with a wife, played by Ann-Margret and a daughter. But a robbery gone bad (or did it!) implicates Alain, with one person dead. When the law goes to his work to question him, he loses his job and has to find another one. Jack Palance is good as his ex-con brother and has one last heist to retire on, and he needs Alain to pull it off. Alain won't do it. He comes to find out that his own brother was framing him for that robbery/murder just so he would help him. What a brother! When Alain can't find another job, he resorts to what he said he would never do again. Van Heflin is also good as a police detective, who has his agenda in putting Alain away. It seems Alain shot him years ago during a robbery, but the circumstantial evidence wasn't good enough; but Van Heflin knew Alain did it. What starts as a promising and interesting film with Alain and Ann-Margret's chemistry culminates to a very depressing end. In fact, I liked the film on the whole up until the last 5 or so minutes. Granted, any film about ex-cons or people on the run never has a "good ending." But some are better than others. It could have had an ending with integrity and a hope for a better day. But no! You've been warned. Some people just exist and…..

The casting for this film was pretty weird. French actor Alain Delon plays an Italian and Jack Palance(!) plays his brother! The two look and sound nothing like brothers and I suppose they chose Delon since apparently Sidney Poitier was not available!! Delon is an ex-con who is married to lovely but often hysterical Ann-Margaret. They have a young daughter but are struggling economically--partly because it's hard for a hot-headed idiot like Delon to keep a job. In fact, there are just way too many scenes where he barks and gesticulates and broods so much you'd swear he's off his meds. Because he acts like a moody jerk through much of the film it's hardly possible to care about him--and this is a major problem with the film. Most caper films, to a degree, you like the crooks and even want to see them get away with the crime---such as in good caper films like "Rififi" or "Bob le Flambeur". With this film, however, you just want it to end. There's more to the plot and there's a parole officer played by Van Heflin, but frankly...who cares?! In addition to Delon's acting, while Ann-Margaret is also a decent actress, you might not think so seeing this film. In particular, pay attention to her at about the 53 and 86 minute marks as she goes off on a bizarre tirade that just seems way overdone. Where was the director? Did they actually WANT this sort of terrible performance?! And, for that matter, who wrote this dialog?! After all, even a film novice might find that scene extremely silly.So what did I like about this film? Well, not much, since I'd seen so many better and less shrill caper films. However, the blond psycho in the gang was a pretty cool character and Palance wasn't bad at all--and was good as a heavy throughout the 50s and 60s. These, however, are not enough to make the movie worth seeing.

I suppose I like the cast better than the film, itself. Heflin, Palance, Ann-Margret, Chandler, and Delon are all watchable. This may very well be Chandler's finest performance (and he was always good at playing bad guys). The story is one we've all seen before, many times, yet the cast makes it worth watching. Ann-Margret might not have been as good as she could have been, but she's not really that bad. Even the scenes involving the little girl work well, and the chemistry between she and Delon is exceptional. The surprise ending is tense and exciting. Too bad there's no DVD of this film. I'd buy it.Johnboy

The premiss of the movie was very intense with the music. The love that this man had for his wife and little girl was honest and heart taking. The acting was great by all. The little girl's acting was very powerful. Alain Delon and Ann-Margret are great!!! Truly a timeless movie. Very emotionally impacting. Definetly one of the great great old movies. Wish there were more.