Lou is a small time gangster, who thinks he used to be something big. He meets up with a younger girl, Sally, who is learning to be a croupier. Her husband turns up with drugs he has stolen from the Mafia. The husband gets Lou to sell the drugs, but is killed before Lou can give him the money. Later, the owners of the drugs turn up and threaten to kill Sally if she doesn’t return them… —IMDb
Louis Malle (born October 30, 1932, Thumeries, France—died November 23, 1995, Beverly Hills, California, U.S.) French motion-picture director whose eclectic films were noted for their emotional realism and stylistic simplicity.
Malle’s wealthy family resisted his early interest in film but allowed him to enter the Institute of Advanced Cinematographic Studies in Paris in 1950. After studying at the institute, he worked as an assistant to filmmaker Robert Bresson and codirected the documentary Le Monde du silence (1956; The Silent World) with underwater explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
Malle’s first feature film, Ascenseur pour l’échafaud (1957; Frantic), was a psychological thriller. His second, Les Amants (1958; The Lovers), was a commercial success and established Malle and its star, Jeanne Moreau, in the film industry. The film’s lyrical love scenes, tracked with exquisite timing, exhibit Malle’s typically bold and uninhibited treatment of sensual themes. Social alienation… read more
A sharply observed, brilliantly acted, elegiac, funny, wise look at the infamous gambling resort, masterfully directed by the late great Malle. Underrated gem, one of the best of the 80s.
Really idiotic. I knew I was in trouble in the very first scene when Susan Sarandon was rubbing citrus fruit on her breasts in front of the kitchen window as a decrepit Burt Lancaster ogled from next door. No amount of aggressive citrus fruit rubbing will counteract the fishy smell of this movie.
Keen, touching character study revolving around an old wannabe gangster’s revelatory relationship with a fresh-faced card dealing woman. Brilliantly focused on subtle character development while poignantly… read review
