Le Doulos

Took the opportunity to watch a 'rarity' on the big screen. Made in 1962 and described as an existential gangster film (or 'angster'* film), "Le Doulos" is a story of betrayal and revenge from Jean-Pierre Melville (who also made "Le Samouraï"); mixing together French new wave cinema and film noir.

Without going into too much detail of the plot (and thus spoiling it), Melville has concocted, from a novel by Pierre Lesou, a tale of two criminals trying to outwit each other with tragic consequences. "Le Doulos" (or "The Finger Man") has all the familiar trappings of film noir - men in hats and trenchcoats, dark shadows, double-crosses, femmes fatales - but has a certain French style to it, for example, every trenchcoat is immaculate and worn tightly fastened.

"Le Doulos" was an enjoyable evening's viewing and it was good to see a film of this age presented in the medium it was made for rather than on TV.


*Thanks Sam