Bob le flambeur Bob the Gambler - (Jean-Pierre Melville;1955;France)
A gambler ex-con plans to pull off a big casino heist.
Some have said this was the beginning of French New Wave, before Godard or any of the others. To this day it proves to be a fascinating film. It's not Melville's strongest work but another great example of Independent cinema. Roger Duchesne has a very smooth approach to his character. We don't know what to make of him in the early parts of the film, but soon love him, especially when he helps the young girl early on. Melville's direction isn't as solid as his other films. There was one scene in a car while a man wrote plans down with excellent music that was cut off too abruptly, killing the mood for instance. Otherwise this is a great film that shows Melville's early talent to create a cool atmosphere with simplicity.