By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Neil Jordan
Starring: Emir Kusturica | Nick Nolte | Nutsa Kukhianidz
Country: canada, france, ireland, united_kingdom
Year: 2003
Running time: 108
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0281820/combined
Bruce says: “What possesses talented directors to remake films which for one reason or another are considered classics of their genre? Neil Jordan, director of MONA LISA, THE CRYING GAME, THE BUTCHER BOY and THE END OF THE AFFAIR, must have thought it was time to remake Jean-Pierre Melville’s BOB LE FLAMBEUR. Jordan has attempted remakes twice before with mixed success: the first time with WE’RE NO ANGELS, a film unworthy of a remake and less successful than the original; then with THE END OF THE AFFAIR which was a tour-de-force for Julianne Moore and was a much more successful film than the original.
“No matter how you may classify BOB LE FLAMBEUR – noir, caper, crime drama – it is nothing short of brilliant filmmaking. It is a highly stylized film yet one which remains fresh after almost 50 years. Roger Duchesne plays Bob Montagne, the high-roller, an aging gambler down on his luck. In today’s parlance he would be labeled alcoholic but in 1955 it would have been said, ‘He holds his liquor well.’ Regardlessof is drinking and gambling habits, Bob has a lot of class and a lot of style. He dresses well, drives a snappy convertible, is generous to a fault, expresses great loyalty and is in demand as a companion for both the gendarmes and characters of the underworld. But Bob cannot resist an opportunity to pull off a ‘big one’ in spite of his serving time for bungled jobs in the past. The climax of the film is what happens at the Deauville casino the night of the planned robbery. Nonetheless, this film is all about Bob.
“Enough about the old Bob, let’s usher in the new one. The setting of the heist has moved from Deauville to Mont Carlo. apparently the French Riviera has a higher per capita thug ratio these days. There is nothing wrong with Nick Nolte’s performance – he has his role down to a ‘t.’ The problem is Bob reincarnate has a heart of gold but not much of the style and class of the original. Instead of alcohol, this Bob’s poison is heroin. Have you ever seen a classy heroin addict? “It is difficult to determine whether Jordan has envisioned a much sleazier underworld than Melville or if times have changed. The thugs in Nolte’s circles are a most unsavory group. I didn’t even enjoy watching them. Nolte’s Bob, however, is much more imaginative in designing his heist than Roger Duchesne’s Bob. Consequently, Jordan has made a film that is as much a caper study as it is a character study. To go into the details of the caper would ruin the fun. But it is a good one. The problem is that I could care less about the participants.
“As for my version of fun, I recommend checking out BOB LE BLAMBEUR and forgetting about THE GOOD THIEF. And while you are in the French section in your video store, pick up Jules Dassin’s RIFFIFI (also 1955) another magnificent caper film with a heist scene that is the best I’ve ever seen. I guarantee you will have the best caper double feature possible. NINE QUEENS from Argentina is another great caper film which I heartily recommend.” 2 1/2 cats