Deux hommes dans la ville

Based in own life experience on dead row of the director José Giovanni takes to screen for Alain Delon as co-producer, the role of friendly Germaine Cazeneuve will be to Lino Ventura who turned down, then asking for Yves Montand who indirectly said no, they had re-written the screenplay to fit an old men like Jean Gabin who play Germaine a social worker that tries socialize some prisoners using his own sharpened instinct gathered for a long time, he struggles for a parole to Gino Strabliggi (Alain Delon) two years before the judgment given of twelve years, after on street already working he lost your girlfriend on car's accident, moved to Montpelier he starts again always escorted by Germaine, when faces Inspector Goitreau (Michel Bouquet) a man who arrested him for first time, for now on the rigid Inspector will turn his life in a hell, letting Gino to nervous breakdown and killing him with own hands, in jail later after an exhaustive trial was sentenced for a death penalty at Guillotine, state by many as Les Miserable alike but it wasn't to me at all, it was Giavanni statement against death penalty on France, which will be swept on 1981, strangely Alain Delon making this picture was totally agreed with death penalty!!

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First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8

Although "le Rapace" , "Dernier domicile Connu" and even " la Loi du Survivant" are certainly superior to "deux Hommes dans la Ville" ,the latter is Giovanni's definitive statement against death penalty.He and André Cayatte were the two French directors who really fought during their careers and their films certainly contributed to its abolishment in 1981.Giovanni would come back to his favourite subject with "comme un Boomerang" and" une Robe Noire pour un Tueur",but those were much weaker efforts.And his final work "Mon père" is not devoid of leniency.

"Deux Hommes dans la Ville "is A WINNER.First thing to bear in mind is that ,at its time of release,French critics were chilly ,they sneered when they saw Michel Bouquet 's cop character.They had probably forgotten "Les misérables" ,Javert and Jean Valjean.Giovanni's cop is not implausible and Bouquet's sly face is ideal.

By and large,the cast is dazzling:we find an actor from the heyday of the French cinema ,Gabin,(Delon's fate recalls some parts of young Gabin "le jour se lève" and "Quai des Brumes"),then from the second generation (Delon) and even the third one is represented with Gerard Depardieu and Bernard Giraudeau -whose part is certainly the weakest of the script:the post-68 student ,we have seen this character too many times- Supporting cast also includes Victor Lanoux and Malka Ribowska ,as a convincing lawyer who is Giovanni's spokesman(woman!)when she expresses her horror of this "razor" (guillotine)which reduces France to the level of the under developed countries.

Gino (Delon) paid for what he'd done.He deserved a chance to pick up the pieces.His awakening,on THE fatal morning,is absolutely terrifying.

This is an interesting film in structure, as the main conflict doesn't even present itself until almost 40 minutes into the film. Up until then, it's a very nice story about an ex-con (Alain Delon) and his good friend--a social worker who befriended him in prison and has worked to help rehabilitate him (Jean Gabin). However, even though Delon is doing a great job on his parole (even after tragedy strikes)and is living an honest life, an old cop who arrested him a decade earlier has decided that it's his mission to PROVE that Delon didn't change and is just another con waiting to show his true colors! And so, doggedly, the cop seems determined to push Delon until he forces his to turn bad.

While the parallels are not perfect and the setting has been updated to modern France, this sure seemed like a reworking of the classic Victor Hugo story "Les Misérables". Like the leading man from the novel, Jean Valjean, Delon's character has changed after leaving prison and is committed to doing right. And, like Javert, the cop who suddenly enters his life will stop at nothing to prove that a man like Delon CAN'T change despite all appearances to the contrary. So, the cop harasses the man's employer, his girlfriend...any one and everyone. He brings Delon in for interrogations and pushes the man unmercifully--so much so that you assume sooner or later Delon will snap. What happens next is a bit of a shock--and makes for an exciting finale and a very compelling film.

It's interesting, by the way, that the bad cop is not the only thing in the system that conspires to keep criminals criminals. Other than Gabin, the rest of the prison officials in the film seem like reactionaries--who unintentionally perpetuate the problems through their stupidity. While this is somewhat of an over-simplification, I like this angle, as prison officials often do make the problems worse (I used to work with the prison system like Gabin's character and was amazed at how corrupt or dumb some of these men were--including come guards who were simply sadists). It's a novel approach (aside from the Hugo novel) and made the film quite compelling. Plus, it humanized Delon so much that you hurt for him and really were rooting for him throughout the film.

I love Alain Delon and Jean Gabin and french cinema. So I was high on expectations when i began this film. It's good. It's a simple story, that moves organically and is well photographed and acted....it is not a typical film....and hence needs a bit of time to get into the mood of the film. But it's a stirring story and gradually you understand and get emotionally involved in the characters. And you feel Oh my God....this is dangerous, tragic. I hate comments that reveal the complete story....no...but i loved the character of the vindictive cop. A guy i hated... The end of the film reminded me of Kieslowski's A short film about killing. For those seeking entertainment, watch the Alain Delon thrillers featured in the DVD extras. This is a serious film but it's eminently watchable and has a powerful underplayed drama.

The actors are a treat to watch. I love Jean Gabin, though i must confess, i've only seen him play the old man.

He'd have been as stupendous when young. His face is a landscape of stories.

The ideal double bill would be this film, followed by Henri Vernuil's Any number can win...with the same principle cast.

Since i'm from India, I must add here that we have our own Alain Delon here....Saif Ali Khan. A handsome intense actor who is right now very happening.

Not a date movie for sure but a good film nevertheless.

It represents the ash after its final credits. last meet between Gabin and Delon on screen, it is a film inspiring, for an old man like me, nostalgia. because it seems a puzzle with familiar pieces. simple. but seductive. dramatic. for the nuances. a story about second chance, justice and sins. one of films for a precise target. because it is one of keys to an universe of cinema who seems, for many reasons, lost today.