Sin aliento

To me Richard Gere carried the movie--he managed to make Jesse LuJak a character both repulsive and likeable. LuJak is a petty criminal, car-thief and then a murderer, not very bright (he reads comic books and seems to model himself on The Silver Surfer). LuJak moves in a world of cheap motels and seedy bars, and has a torrid and obviously doomed affair with an art student. But in the end he comes off as somehow admirable--we believe that he loves the Kapinsky character, that he might even be a good father to her child, given the chance. LuJak comes mighty near what I would call a tragic hero--flaws and all.

As for the look of the movie, I find that equally well done--just for example, at one point the hero and heroine make love in torrid red lights, with a black-and white 30s movie in the background, also dealing with doomed lovers. The juxtaposed images were very nicely handled.

Both thumbs up!

A Bout De Soufflé is closely related to the portrait of a generation shaped by Beatnik and Existencialist philosophies. Kerouak and Salinger in USA, Sartres and Camus in France, were among the intellectuals who inspired this generation.

A generation whose "malaise" is embedded in Paris atmosphere. Paris which was the very center of occidental culture by that time.

The American version of this story, Breathless, directed by Jim McBride, missed the point because the portrait of a generation of the sixties in Paris, cannot be transplanted to a context of the eighties in California.

As I had never seen the French original, I don't have nothing to say about it, although the American version is too much underrated by the critics, l spent last night checking out this picture which I had good memories from the early 90's when I'd watched it on TV, indeed Breathless aged very well and holds up at the time, Richard Gere plays Jesse a wild guy car thief, living blithely as hadn't anything on the future, often reading a comic book of his fave hero Silver Surfer as pure escapism.

Jerry had a misfortune to kill inadvertently a cop after committed a mistake on the road, Jerry had plans to your newest French girlfriend Monica (Valérie Kaprisky) at Mexico, henceforth your life turns upside down, whatever he does all things getting worst, although his adventure spirit he goes ahead in randomly, following his own survival instincts, plenty of nudes and sexy scenes notable by the splendorous Monica, also rocked by the Killer Jerry Lee Lewis's Breathless as highlights at fabulous soundtrack.

Richard Gere illustrates that is a multilayer and versatile actor, also Art Metrano in a funny queer character with ice screen at mouth as owner of scrap yard and the recurrent stereotyped John P. Ryan as Lt. Parmental of the L. A. Police who enforces a chase without respite of Jesse, moreover the final sequence is really breathless!!

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First watch: 1993 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7.5.

It's funny to see Richard Gere now, so refined and soft spoken and remember he played the quintesential wild man in "Breatless". I remember when I saw this, I was so young but it blew me away. This isn't a movie that's especially strong no depth nor is it the most original movie-cmon hot bad by, hot bad girl on the run together etc etc. Not original in the slightest but the movie was wholly absorbing. It just worked.

I think this movie was completely decadent and was also a bit ahead of it's time-were it to be released now people wouldn't bat an eye but back then I remember it was pretty raunchy-I didn't know till I read some other reviews on here that Quenten Tarentino was a fan of this movie and there IS something about this movie that's a bit-I don't know-let's just say that I could see him making this.

I think the appeal of this movie was on alot of levels, it was decadent, controversial, featured two leads who even by HOLLYWOOD standards were absolutely incredible looking,besides being fastpaced, action oriented and featuring plenty of sizzling scenes between the two leads. Although this is far from my favorite movie it sure did leave me breathless!

I remember when this film was first released. There was much hype since it was an American remake of a fairly renown French film from the 60s. At that point in Richard Gere's career he had portrayed several youthful virile characters (I guess you can say "studs" -- in "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" and "American Gigolo" and "An Officer and a Gentleman"). I think the critics and much of the public at the time saw this film as just another stud role of his. Maybe this is why the film was panned. I myself don't fondly remember it from the first time I saw it -- somehow it seemed empty and vacuous.

I've just now seen this again after many years and Gere's off and on channeling of Jerry Lee Lewis is not something I saw the first time. I agree with another commenter here that Gere actually plays this role of a small time devil-may-care hood to the hilt. He captures the James Dean & Marlon Brando rebel swagger, however minus their brooding or introspection. One endearing aspect of his character here is he's also something of a romantic and I think this is why the young French college student becomes enamored him.

I rated this film a "7" and I think it's worth watching. It is also fairly provocative sexually (hot) and this aspect is tastefully depicted.

After watching this I thought of the song from the late 1970s "Point of No Return," and Gere's character is heading down a very risky path. I don't think anyone affiliated with the making of this film was necessarily searching for a moral to the story -- I guess from the perspective of being older and seeing this now this is what was brought to mind.