Adventure films weren't exactly popular in France during the 80's; while "Les spécialistes" (1985), and "Le ruffian" (1983) grossed millions at the box office, most of the film's of this genre didn't meet with success and barely passed the million ticket milestone. The film's that did, as the two mentioned above, had a mix of comedy and aventure, or were structured as buddy movies pairing two different protagonists with a common goal.
"Les loups entre eux" is one of those few adventure films in which aventure was the only thing there to see. The story revolves around a team of individuals, each one completely different from the other, who are tasked to liberate an American general kidnapped by an Italian terrorist group.
It should come as no surprise that the film was directed by José Giovanni. He was a Swiss director who had been condemned to death because of his collaborationist activities during the occupation of France by the Germans in the Second World War. After he was pardoned, he became a film director, known for adventure films like this one. Most of his works praised friendship among men, and featured hardcore heroes who belong in gangs or represent order. This film serves an excellent example of the latter, since the characters are fighting against terrorists.
In this film, Giovanni's work was inadequate considering its genre. Long scenes and plenty of dialogue contribute to little action being shown on screen. The film relies more on suspense to keep its plot going, but the way the mission is presented makes this suspense feel inappropriate for a film labelled as an adventure feature. The director took too long to start the action and focused more on the characters' conflicts, which weren't used but as a distraction from their common goal.
The star of the film is clearly Claude Brasseur. He was the leader of the mission, a determined man who often got into conflicts with other members. The others didn't act in any memorable way, only functioning as counterpoints to him. It was through Brasseur's performance and acting that the film kept going.
The music was quite nice, as evidenced by the theme song. Belonging to the pop-rock genre of music, it's a stimulating piece that fits perfectly in the film. Admittedly, I enjoyed it more than the movie itself.
"Les loups entre eux" can be only described as an average film. While marketed as an action film, the action scenes are limited, and most of the plot focuses on the main characters planning their mission. Still, the ending of the film was surprising, and improved my impression of it.
The movie itself was not highly successful, but crossed the million ticket milestone. Today, it belongs to the forgotten films of French 80's cinema. Coming out the same year as the 5 million ticket phenomenon "Les spécialistes" certainly didn't help. Whereas "Les spécialistes" offered a refreshing take on the buddy movie à la française, with characters defying the law and being individualistic, thus embracing the spirit of the decade, "Les loups entre eux", with its praise of the military and a story out of a 60's script, felt old-fashioned even back then.
All in all, "Les loups entre eux" is not highly recommended. An average plot, solid but quite indifferent acting, and low-quality direction are it's features. Still, it is interesting when viewed in perspective with Giovanni's other works, and serves as an example of an adventure film that was successful in France when films of its kind were generally met with indifference.
