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Rating: 4.5 stars

All movies seen on 06/04/2013

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Bob le Flambeur (1956)

Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville

Film Noir

Overview

In Paris, Bob Montagne is practically synonymous with gambling—and winning. He is kind, classy and well-liked by virtually everyone in town, including police inspector Ledru. However, when Bob’s luck turns sour, he begins to lose friends and makes the most desperate gamble of his life: to rob the Deauville casino during Grand Prix weekend, when the vaults are full. Unfortunately, Bob soon learns that the game is rigged and the cops are on to him.

Length 103 minutes

Actors

Roger Duchesne | Isabelle Corey | Daniel Cauchy | Gérard Buhr | Guy Decomble | Claude Cerval | Howard Vernon | Colette Fleury | Simone Paris | René Havard | André Garet | Jean-Pierre Melville

Viewing History (seen 1 time)

Viewing Notes

Bob the Gambler was the first Melville movie I’d ever seen, and as most said it was an uncharacteristic piece for him, I was a little sad; I really liked this movie a lot and wanted to dive into other Melville films that were just as quirky and sly as this one. It’s about a man named Bob, and yes,  he’s a gambler; he has a gaming slot in his closet, a little taste of gambling he indulges in at home for fun, and spends a lot of his time in gambling houses and casinos. He’s had one stint in prison and we find out that he’s got a bit of a guardian angel in the form of a cop, when he’s picked up in a police car for a generous ride; one of the cops wants to make sure he stays out of trouble.

Bob has a young apprentice, almost like a son but without any censoring, named Paolo. He tries to keep Paolo out of trouble, or atleast out of the hands of hotheads. The atmosphere and place is a movie-lovers dream of the streets: long, narrow roads, small outposts where Bob enters and leaves just as quick; the perfect place for a gangster to occupy. Bob has began to run out of money as a result of his obsessive gambling, and when a friend tells him how much money a certain Casino holds in their safe, he instantly decides he wants to rob it. And he doesn’t plain it lightly. He hires distractions, men to hold-up the staff, and a professional safe-cracker; there is a really clever scene where they all stand around the safe-cracker as he uses an amplifier to listen to the small clicks and movements of the combination lock, practicing so that once he gets to the real lock, he’ll be able know all the right clicks and have it opened in under four minutes.

The plan and heist, obviously, has some obstacles. Earlier in the movie, a young hothead mobster, Marc, gets in some trouble and the police make a deal with him: if he leads them to a bigger racket, and his tip actually gets something done, they’ll drop the charges. Well, the laws of movies tells us that this will pop-up and be applied later on. Paulo, even after Bob tells him never to tell a dame their plans, goes and brags about their scheme to steal millions from the casino. And then when Paulo’s girl plays around with Marc behind his back, she tells him this, not thinking Paulo is really going to do it, and of course, Marc tips the police. Damn!

The irony of the movie is that Bob gets a bit distracted at the end; his strict schedule for the heist in interrupted when he begins winning big in his gambling, at the very casino he’s about to steal from. The whole movie his luck is bad: It’s only good when his luck is bad, since the cops are waiting for him to perform the heist. Damn again!

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