Kick-Back Friday: #164

Le Doulos (1962): Another study of the criminal subculture provided by the brilliant Jean-Pierre Melville, French lover of American noir and the unrecognized pioneer of the contemporary movie thriller. Frankly (or Francophilically?) Melville is the rare director who makes cinema—yes, cinema—simultaneously entertaining and meaningful.

At its essence, Le Doulous, which refers either to a type of fedora or a "finger man," concerns the idea of loyalty and (perhaps, more important) the impression of it. There are enough brow-furrowing twists here to engage the most seasoned and sophisticated viewer, while averting sheer frustration. But perhaps the ultimate praise for Melville's take on allegiances is to write how the film motivates an immediate rewind.

Poster image of De Loulos, starring Jean Paul Belmondo and Serge Reggiani (who, weirdly, looks like Rowan Atkinson's hard-luck brother), from Wikipedia and reproduced under fair use law.