Borsalino and Co.

BORSALINO & CO. (1974) starred Alain Delon and Ricardo Cucciolla.

This is a sequel to the highly acclaimed BORSALINO which apparently is unavailable. Well, if there is one thing I hate it's dubbing. This was dubbed. Delon's voice was too low. The voices always sound disembodied to me.

The story takes place in the mid-1930s France, and it concerns a gangland war between the Volpone (Cucciolla) gang and the Roch Siffredi (Delon) gang. Initially, Volpone wins and plans to saturate the country with heroin, but Siffredi carefully works out his revenge.

It's a typical Godfather-type film without being the Godfather. Lots of cars crashing, violence, shooting, and a particularly unpleasant final scene. All very macho.

On IMDb one of the posters said, "Alain Delon, already past his prime..." Yeah, what a dog. He was a GOD, and with his hair slicked back, evening clothes, and beautifully tailored suits, he looked as if he walked off the pages of Italian Vogue. If your idea of "prime" is 25, that's sad. To each age its own beauty.

First of all, I admit that I will watch anything with Alain Delon in it. Even that insufferably pretentious 1960s snooze-fest, The Eclipse. That drop-dead gorgeous man will continue to accelerate my pulse until I'm 90 (if I get that far). Nature's most perfect production and never repeated.

Having made that clear, I'm surprised at the negative reviews. I find this second installment far superior to the first Borsalino. In the first place, it's daubed in English (American English) and that is a lot better than the first one, which was daubed by French people speaking English (and you can tell). In the second place, then fight scenes are much more realistic than in the first film, where you could see very clearly that the blows didn't even reach the recipient. IMO, the first Borsalino was more of a comedy caper, while B & Co. is more sober, more of a real gangster film. Perhaps a bit slow, but that's how they did things in those days. Personally, I prefer them to the crash, bang, thank you, ma'am 'action' films of today.

Maybe I'm biased because I grew up watching European films of that era and I still love most of the French flic and gangster films made in those days.

My advice to young people is if you cannot watch old films with an open mind (e.i. without automatically comparing them unfavorably to the new ones, or without making the necessary concessions) just pass them by. Stick to The Godfather and Good Fellas (the last one atrocious, in my opinion, but that's just me).

All in all, B & Co. is not a bad film. Give it a chance.

'Borsalino and Co.' (the English title is 'Blood on the Streets') is a good case study of the risks of 'sequel' films. Film director Jacques Deray and producer Alain Delon tried in 1974 to repeat the success of 'Borsalino' released on screen in 1970, which featured Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo, in an elegant and well choreographed production, in which the two mega-stars almost mathematically divided their time and space on the screen, being extremely careful not to shadow each other. Francois Capella, the hero played by Belmondo, dies in a spray of bullets at the end of the first film, and 'Borsalino and Co.' begins with his funeral. Roch Siffredi (Alain Delon) will spend the sequel looking for the assassins of his friend, taking revenge upon them in a cruel and spectacular way and fighting with his rivals for the control of Marseilles in the mid-1930s. The task will not be easy.

Although it is happening at the same period and in the same locations, the story of 'Borsalino and Co.' has a tone different from the one of the original movie. If there is a moral motivation in 'Borsalino' that balances the character and deeds of the heroes this was friendship. Friendship remains in the second film only a pretext mentioned in the first scenes, revenge takes its place as a feeling that guides the actions of Roch Siffredi. 'Borsalino' was more like a mobsters movie inspired by successful similar American films. 'Borsalino and Co.' slips much further into the 'film noir' genre. Less successful are the political or historical nuances, the introduction of the fascist association of Roch's enemies seems forced. From the light atmosphere, the local color, the humor and the fun of the original film, there is nothing left, even Claude Bolling's music is less inspired this time.

'Borsalino and Co.'o and Co.' it's not a bad movie. It is a cursive action film, and the story has something from 'Count de Monte Cristo', if we are already in Marseilles. Delivered by the need to be careful about the pharmaceutical partition of the screen with Belmondo, Delon dominates the film and creates a role closer to that he had other gangster films in which he played the role of the bad guy with an angelic face. However, the rest of the casting is much less inspired than the first movie in the series, and none of the supporting roles provide the opportunity for an acting creation to remember more than five minutes after the screening ends. 'Borsalino' was a special film, a piece of entertainment with the chance to be remembered long after watching it. 'Borsalino and Co.' it's just a reasonable vintage action movie. It ends with a 'to be followed' sign that never happened, and I believe that the producer and the director were inspired not to continue the series.

In Marseille, after the funeral of his best friend and partner François Capella, Roch Siffredi (Alain Delon) and his gangsters capture an Italian gangster that tells that the hit was ordered by the mobster Giovanni Volpone (Riccardo Cucciolla). They also learn that his brother is coming to Marseille by train. Siffredi and his men intercept the train and throw Volpone's brother on the rails. Soon Volpone kills Siffredi's men, destroys his businesses, throws his right-hand Fernand (Lionel Vitrant) with a big stone into the sea and captures Siffredi that goes missing. He also uses his influence to replace Inspector Fanti (Daniel Ivernel) by the corrupt Inspector Cazenave (André Falcon). Fernand survives and looks for Siffredi, who is interned in a hospice. Siffredi flees from the asylum with the support of Fernand and they escape to Italy by boat. Years go by until a truck of Borsalino and Co. Travels to Marseille with Siffredi, Fernand and their new gang. Retribution is coming.

"Borsalino and Co." is the sequel of the 1970 "Borsaline", also directed by Jacques Deray with a story full of action of war of gangsters. The revenges of Roch Siffredi and Giovanni Volpone are impressive, especially the one to force the enemy to drink bottles of booze. The conclusion promises a sequel that never happened. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Borsalino e Cia." ("Borsalino and Co.")

For those who enjoy 'the Godfather' and the Sicilian landscapes, Borsalino & Co. is a different view of French gangsterism in the South of France around the 1930's. Alain Delon plays the lead character of Roch Siffredi, a gangster who must fend his empire against the Italian mob who tries to muscle its way through Roch Siffredi's territory and enterprises. How Roch is able to fight back and make an unprecedented comeback while exacting his vengeance on the Italian mob is most original and Machiavellian.

Bottom line, revenge is sweet, and the movie makes great effort in recreating a 1930's decor. The background music and the theme song are particularly enjoying.