Rating: /5
Based on The Score by Richard Stark, the film follows Georges (Michel Constantin) as he meets up with Paulus (Philippe Moreau) and Edgar (Daniel Ivernel) to hear out Edgar’s plan to take 25 men to pull a heist on an entire mountain town — a town in which Edgar used to live and knows well. Georges is reluctant but sees potential and takes the lead
Twenty minutes in, the heist begins as the gang subdues and restrains the police, the fire brigade, and the telephone operators, ensuring the town is cut off from help. They divide up into teams and hit their marks, handling each new crisis as it arises. But troubles increase when Edgar sees someone he knows from town, Martens, and breaks from the heist
A near-lost film — everyone’s watching the same copy: a rip from a damaged VHS — and I believe the Guggenheim was able to get a copy to show at one point, but otherwise, no one can get a legitimate version
The story is tense, and the troubles are fun. It manages to avoid any overt violence, making it all about the work of the heist. The stakes are still there, but it’s almost like the lack of violence keeps the tension high — no catharsis, just the tightrope
Similarly, being in Acadamy ratio, the landscape of the mountain town does not come into play — we see the men at work, we see the town they are taking. It’s a big heist, but the whole thing feels small and focused
Blame Kelly Reichardt, who mentioned this on the podcast Switchblade Sisters (RIP), for why I sought it out and watched it
I don’t feel like giving it a rating is fair since the VHS degradation impedes appreciating the movie in full