Vertige pour un tueur

Jean-Pierre Dasagnat's first effort "les étrangers" has a pretty good reputation;but his sophomore effort "vertige pour un tueur " is a muddled affair.

The screenwriters try to conceal the paucity of their story (a settlement of scores ) behind a desultory script ,with absolutely implausible scenes -the hero running behind an airliner about to take off -and a large part which bears more than a distant resemblance to René Clément's "les félins" (1964) in which a fugitive takes refuge in a mansion where two (only one here) beautiful women have (has) a hidden agenda .

Unlike Jane Fonda's and Lola Albright 's in Clément's thriller,miss Koscina 's playing is minimal,to put it mildly ,and is limited to put on simpering airs ; when she shoots into the water ,she's downright ludicrous.

On the plus side ,Marcel Bozzuffi ,who's rarely the lead ,is efficient ;so is Michel Constantin ,but unfortunately , his presence on the screen does not exceed a few minutes .

A stodgy brew.

Hit-man Marcel Bozzuffi (Marc) misses his intended victim on purpose and his gangland boss catches up with him to exact revenge. However, he manages to escape to Nice and the rest of the film plays out on the French Riviera as he is pursued there and meets up with wealthy housewife Sylva Koscina (Sylvie) who seems to also have an agenda of her own. Looks like everyone is after him – can he escape once more?

You find yourself rooting for the gunman on the run to survive his ordeal. He's up against a ruthless gang, though, and they are everywhere. Their leader is a cold killer and you wouldn't want to cross him as he is unforgiving. You need to pay attention throughout this film as it can be complicated with the different assortment of characters. It is probably a better watch on the second time around when you can make more sense of who's who and understand the plot regarding Sylva more clearly.

At the beginning of the film, we get a sailor arrive in the old port of Nice. It's where my dad lives and you can see the apartment where he lives. Can't wait to show him this part of the film. I probably know the bar they film in as well. So, it's got a sentimental reason for me to hold onto this one. Even without the family connection, it's still worth a watch.