Why I liked this film. Pleasantly Surprised. SPOILERS

So I just finished watching this film on Sundance channel a few minutes ago. I was flipping channels and recognized the name. I read the summary and saw it was a Jean-Pierre Mellville film, and after seeing and enjoying Le Samauri (sp?), I decided to watch. So after not being impressed with the the first quarter of the movie, the story starts to move, and they start planning the robbery. As this is unfolding, I thought I had the story all pegged. I thought it was going to be like a French Ocean's 11, where they rob the Casino, they get away, maybe the cop catches him due to Marc's tip, and by the time they get to him, he blows all the money on gambling. No.

Turns out there is like a monkey wrench thrown into every plan that is made.

First, to me, it seemed maybe Bob had a little thing for Anne when he invited her to stay with him, but when he comes home, he finds his son in bed with her.


Then you find out Bob is a retired theif who has a nice size nest egg to live off of, but what do ya know, he goes on a cold streak and blows it all.


Then, after Paolo telling Anne he loved her and basically saying he planned to rob a casino so they could live a nice life together, she betrays him, cheats on him with a two-bit pimp, and not only that but reveals his plans and puts everything in jeopardy.


At this point, I assumed they were going to go through with it but Marc's tip off would foil the plan in the middle or after they robbed the casino, but NO, she admits what she did to Bob, prompting him to stop the heist, until later we find out Paolo handles it.


Now, the elevator operator has a come up. Strikes a nice little deal for himself with these guys, I kind of felt good that he was going to get a nice piece of change without doing much, BUT, after his wife finds out whats going on, she rats them out to the casino owners, which personally I didnt expect. I thought she would want the 500,000-1 million francs and just shut up.


Thinking that they are in the clear, Bob goes to set up in the casino, but as you'll notice before he goes in , he leans over to his partner and blows out the match to which he was going to light his cigarette, as to say FOCUS, I dont even want a cigarette distracting you. Yet, when HE is in there, he goes on a gambling binge, after losing his entire life savings gambling the weeks before, but for the first time in a while, HE IS UP. He walks away with alot of doe.


As everyone pulls up, I maybe assumed they were going to at least make it in the casino and have some sort of stand off, maybe even ending in success, but no, the most tragic thing that can happen to Bob does, his son is killed in front of his eyes before even entering the building. At this point he is arrested, but with the irony of all ironies, the casino workers load the cop car with Bob's winnings.


So to conclude, the best thing that can happen to me with a film, did. I entered it knowing essentially nothing about it, and when I thought I had the story figured out, it went in a different direction. Not to mention the slight weaving of the characters in the story (the inspector, Bob, Anne, and Paolo). Like I said, pleasantly surprised.

5 out of 5.