Canicule

This is essentially a trash film that luckily does not take itself too seriously. It is well aware of its nature as entertainment and uses themes familiar from such films as "Deliverance" and "The Hills Have Eyes" in a sort of parodic context.

It features a family living in rural France where the father is a brutal and violent pervert, his brother is same but worse, the son (about 10) is following on the same track and the father's sister is a nympho. Key in lots of tasteless moments (the clubbering to death of two Swedish (topless) campers, the suicide of the grandmother when they threaten to take her to old folks' home, the spending spree of the 10 year old kid in a cathouse and so on)and what you have is a fairly entertaining exploitation picture with a European touch.

You know whether you'll like it or not! Definitely not for the fans of Lee Marvin...

Jimmy Cobb is a tough as nails gangster on the run in France. He's got a hot couple of million with him, and the cops are on his tail. In the idyllic countryside, Cobb takes refuge at a farmhouse to plan his next move. Little does he know that his situation is about to become even more complex, for the family whose barn he's in are a depraved bunch just as bloodthirsty and cruel as he is. Will Cobb be able to escape the farmhouse with his loot before the authorities or the family- led by a malevolent and diminutive boy named Chim- stop him dead in his tracks?

Directed by Yves Boisset, 'Dog Day' is a misguided mess of a movie. The screenplay is credited to a whopping six different people, which is unsurprising considering the disjointed nature of the narrative. It feels like the six writers were all working on separate projects, which one of them tried to combine; unsuccessfully, one might add. The result is an uneasy mixture of gory violence, farcical comedy and gangster romanticism that is tonally schizophrenic and totally underwhelming. Which is not even to mention the numerous stilted lines of dialogue or the plethora of sub-plots that go nowhere, as well as the paper-thin characterization and misogynism exhibited continuously in the film.

Despite all that, 'Dog Day' does inspire rumination. Is it meant to be a commentary on the conventions and aesthetics of crime thrillers? If so, is the inclusion of cliché after cliché actually a highly calculated and brilliant move, rather than evidence that the filmmakers were bereft of any original ideas? Are they trying to satirize the genre, or pay homage to it? Is the film saying something profound about viewers' responses to violence? Does Boisset even care that audience members wonder about these things?

Sadly, putting the effort into thinking about those questions is a lot more than 'Dog Day' deserves, for it is a technical dud as well as a creative one. Jean Boffety's cinematography is ugly and uninspired, with the few interesting stylizations and sequences being stolen from other films ('Prime Cut,' most notably). Never before has such a beautiful landscape been captured with such little verve or style. Unfortunately, the underwhelming visuals are matched by Francis Lai's melodramatic score and bolstered by the cheap sound design and effects.

Were the film well-acted, the above detractions might not be so overwhelming. Alas, the performances from the cast vary wildly. Lee Marvin stars as Cobb, delivering a measured performance; though he does seem bored and exhausted throughout. One of his last cinematic outings, Marvin deserved a better project than this- and it looks like he thought the same. Miou-Miou co-stars, also doing fine work, though her role is terribly underwritten, and there is little she can do with the character. The same can be said for Jean Carmet and Tina Louise- their talents are largely wasted.

Then there is David Bennent, who the director obviously adored. A young chap of ten or so, he plays Chim; an odious little tyke who redefines the meaning of irritating. An incredibly over-the-top performer, Bennent has no screen presence to speak of, and is something of a charisma vacuum. Why his character is made the central one- and why he was cast in the first place- is thoroughly beyond understanding. As for the rest of the cast: they're no better than Bennent, and warrant no more mention than that.

A cheap-looking effort made without passion or originality, 'Dog Day' is a creative and technical travesty. Though featuring a strong performance from star Lee Marvin, even he cannot save this one from the realm of mediocrity. The cinematography is nothing to write home about, the score is overblown and many of the performances are irritating. There is really very little reason to watch it, unless you're a die-hard Marvin fan- but even then there are better ways to spend your time. In short, 'Dog Day' is underwhelming, uninspired and ugly.

Canicule or Dog day is completely bonkers. It is a cartoon really, but a pretty violent and ludicrous one. Lee Marvin in one of his final roles is not given enough screen time, only at the climax of the film is he terrific, really giving his all as the dying gangster (he was probably ill himself then). In the rest of the film he looks on in disbelief and looks like he would rather be elsewhere. There is a lot of 'business' going on inside the farm which is not worth going into and much of the film would be seen a French Farce or as being like 'Carry on' or 'Benny Hill'- if it was not so violent or just plain nasty in its depiction and abuse of its characters.

The film is violent towards women and negative about humans and sexuality in general. The film collapses into the absurd as the body count mounts up as the crazy inhabitants of the farm, police and nearby innocents are all brutally wiped out and the best remaining parts are between the small boy in his surreal 'boat' shaped den and the great Marvin. Ne actor has looked this dislocated from a film since Terence Stamp in 'Theorem'. Lee Marvin was a great actor, but this film is not worthy of him and is only worth a look if you want to see Marvin in this piece of weird French surrealism.

Canicule appears to be an attempt to portray all of humanity as depraved, degraded or, perhaps more aptly: dégueulasse. It never lets up and every single character is simply horrible. The scenes of the wheat fields are gorgeous but the rest is as dirty as dirty gets. I suspect that everyone involved in this production came to regret having helped to make this thing a thing. If you like hyperviolent films, you might delight in this one. Otherwise, I'd advise staying away.

Watch the two movies together for an example of a good film and a bad one with the same themes. No one is good in this one, and that goes for the acting as well as the morality. The family is depraved and watching Lee Marvin go through his 'take the illegal money, eye the women, escape the pursuers' bit is incredibly boring.

Skip it. A real waste of film, despite the VanGogh beauty of the golden fields of southern France.