{"id":30984,"date":"2025-04-08T17:02:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T00:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=30984"},"modified":"2025-04-08T17:02:59","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T00:02:59","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-hardboiled-three-pulp-thrillers-by-alain-corneau-1976-1981","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=30984","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! Blu-ray Review: HARDBOILED: THREE PULP THRILLERS BY ALAIN CORNEAU (1976 \u2013 1981)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray box set from Radiance\nFilms is available as of today.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Film noir and crime pictures have always been a staple of US\nliterature and cinema, but they aren\u2019t the only countries to have delved into\nthe genre. France has made its fair share of similarly-themed movies, some of\nwhich were even based on the same material as their American counterparts.\nRadiance Films is presenting a new Blu-ray box set, Hardboiled: Three Pulp\nThrillers by Alain Corneau<\/em> that contains a trio of remarkable pictures\nco-written and directed by the filmmaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the informative extras on the set, the book\nline S\u00e9rie Noir<\/em> began picking up the rights to pulp books from the US,\noffering quick (and sometimes very loose) translations of the stories for\nFrench audiences. These films were directly inspired by those publications. The\nfirst is Police Python 357<\/em> (1976), an adaptation of the 1946 Kenneth\nFearing novel, The Big Clock<\/em>. The second is the appropriately titled S\u00e9rie\nNoire (1979)<\/em>, which is an updated take of the 1954 Jim Thompson book A\nHell of a Woman<\/em>.And the third picture in the set, Choice\nof Arms<\/em> (1981), takes the tone of the previous films, but tells an original\nand specifically French story. All are excellent movies that will thrill anyone\nwho admires the genre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police Python 357<\/em> follows Inspector Marc Ferrot (Yves\nMontand) , an honest but hardened police detective. Made in the mold of Dirty\nHarry, he does possess a slightly softer personality, carrying a lonely streak\nwith him. One day he meets up with a young photographer Sylvia Leopardi\n(Stefania Sandrelli) and falls for her. He knows she\u2019s involved with a\nprominent married man, but they can\u2019t resist each other and she agrees to end\nher other relationship. As it turns out, that other man is Commissaire Ganay\n(Fran\u00e7ois P\u00e9rier), boss of Ferrot. Enraged with the break-up, he murders lover\nLeopardi at her apartment just before the lead stops by for a visit. He assumes\nshe\u2019s out and returns home, passing by a number of witnesses. The next day,\nhe\u2019s called in to investigate the young woman\u2019s murder. While Ganay and his\naccepting wife Th\u00e9r\u00e8se (Simone Signoret) move police focus to the mystery\nlover, Ferrot tries to avoid being identified and slow the investigation,\nfrustrating partner M\u00e9nard (Mathieu Carri\u00e8re).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is a fine adaptation that takes the main plot points of\nthe original story, while putting a French spin on them. Ganay\u2019s wife, who is\nbedridden, fully knows about her husband\u2019s infidelities and is determined in\nadvising and diverting attention away from her spouse. She is fascinating to\nwatch. Of course, there\u2019s plenty of tension as the characters come closer and\ncloser to learning the full truth, and the climactic confrontations are\nshocking. This movie makes no bones about presenting its characters in a\nless-than-flattering light as its lead loses his ideals and the film ends on a\ndownbeat note, adding a dose of extra realism to the proceedings. It\u2019s a very\ncompelling movie that will impress crime fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The movie is slickly photographed and the high-definition\ntransfer looks quite strong, boasting great cityscapes during night exteriors\nand plenty of detail during the daytime scenes. There is a normal bit of grain\nhere and there, but overall things look pretty exceptional. This is no doubt\nthe best the movie has ever looked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extras on this disc are also engaging. There is an enlightening commentary track from film authority Mike White going over this adaptation. He makes note of background production information, changes from the novel and his own comments about this adaptation. The speaker takes some issue with the casting and likability of the main character (it wasn’t as much of a problem for me), but is very impressed by the movie in general. This is a great listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There is also an excellent video essay on the adaptation\ncontaining more trivia. It seems Corneau contacted the book\u2019s author, Kenneth\nFearing, and the pair worked on another interesting adaptation with a big cast\nthat fell apart before production. A few years later, he managed to get the\nresources to do his own adaptation of The Big Clock<\/em>. An archival\ninterview with the director and co-star Fran\u00e7ois P\u00e9rier is also included, as\nwell as a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crime novelist Jim Thompson\u2019s A Hell of a Woman<\/em> was\nadapted into the film S\u00e9rie Noire<\/em>, which appears in this set. Thompson\u2019s\nwork has always been extreme in its portrayals of violent men, frequently\nupsetting viewers. This feature doesn\u2019t hold back in painting an ugly portrait\nof a figure losing his grip on sanity and resorting to violence as he tries to\nbreak free of the constraints of his life. The movie includes a phenomenal lead\nperformance and, despite being little known in North America, is likely the\nbest adaptation of a Thompson novel up to this point in cinematic history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Poor, angry Parisian door-to-door salesman Franck Poupart (Patrick Dewaere) lives in poverty with his disapproving wife Jeanne (Myriam Boyer). Life is pretty rotten, until he knocks on the door of an elderly woman (Jeanne Herviale) who offers to trade the services of her 16-year-old niece Mona (Marie Trintignant) for one of the lead\u2019s products. Poupart accepts and spends time with the youngster, but doesn\u2019t initially take advantage of her. Instead, he falls in love and decides to \u201crescue\u201d her (and himself) from a lift of misery. Unfortunately, he\u2019s selfish, impulsive, scatterbrained, and his murderous plot results in more attempted slayings, including one on his pregnant wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As jarring as it can be, this is an incredible movie with\nremarkable performances. The lead character is horrible, but Dewaere makes him\nengrossing and fascinating to watch. It\u2019s also wonderfully shot and this\ntransfer seems like the sharpest of the three films. You really feel like\nyou\u2019re in his nasty apartment and going through his ugly daily grind,\nwitnessing his desperate and feeble attempts to try and earn some cash. It\u2019s\none that stays with you long after the credits. In France, the movie has become\na big cult item and Dewaere\u2019s performance has been noted by young actors as\nlegendary. Apparently, even original author Thompson approved of this film when\nhe saw it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This title includes great extras. You get an hour-long\nmaking-of documentary that discusses the origins of the movie and how it was\nshot. The film has an improvisational feel to it, with Dewaere bouncing around\nand behaving erratically. Co-star Myriam Boyer suggests that despite rumors to\nthe contrary, the cast actually stayed on script most of the time. What was\nunique was that the sets were lit so that the characters could move around them\nfreely without having to hit specific marks, which likely was what added to the\nnaturalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Other interesting details include the fact that young\nco-star Trintignant (who has a nude scene) was not able to see the movie she\nco-starred in because it was rated for audiences 18-and-older only. Viewers\nalso learn that the film did reasonably well, but wasn\u2019t a smash initially.\nSeveral believe this was because it was so unique and shocking that it was\nahead of its time and took a few years to be appreciated. Viewers also learn\nthat star Dewaere tragically took his own life only a few years after the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Additionally, there is a wonderful video essay about\nadaptations of the work of Jim Thompson. The critic notes that his writing is\nextremely difficult to adapt because the male characters are so flawed and\nviolent. If you show the brutality on the page accurately, viewers can be\noffended, but downplaying it means that you\u2019re glossing over the hideous traits\nof the characters and making their acts palatable. As such, the critic expects\nthat it will be some time before filmmakers begin to attempt to make more\nadaptations of his work. The expert notes films that aren\u2019t effective,\nultimately praising S\u00e9rie Noire<\/em> and a pair of titles in 1990, The\nGrifters <\/em>(which features a female protagonist played by Angelica Huston),\n<\/em>and After Dark, My Sweet <\/em>as being exceptional. He also cites the\nwork of Casey Affleck in 2010\u2019s The Killer Inside Me<\/em> as excellent. An\narchival interview with Corneau and co-star Trintignant is also included, along\nwith a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final film in the set is Choice of Arms<\/em>, which is\na bit more unusual because it is a specifically French tale that borrows from\npulpy American crime writing, but isn\u2019t a direct adaptation. It\u2019s more of a\ncharacter piece, but one that blurs the line between good and evil, and offers\na few unexpected story twists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Noel Durieux (Yves Montand) is a former gangster who now\nlives a quiet life with wife Nicole (Catherine Deneuve) raising horses on a\nvast estate. It all goes sideways when old associate Serge (Pierre Forget) and\nhis compatriot Mickey (G\u00e9rard Depardieu) break out of prison and kill policemen\nin the process. Noel agrees to let the wounded Serge quietly stay along with\nhis pal, but the young, impulsive Mickey is hard to keep under control. There\u2019s\na big generational difference and the two butt heads. Serge doesn\u2019t recover,\nand when inspectors Bonnardot (Michel Galabru) and Sarlat (G\u00e9rard Lanvin) begin\nhunting Mickey down, the criminal assumes that Noel ratted him out. He\nimmediately seeks revenge. Things escalate as the two try to kill each other.\nEven the pair of policemen have major differences in their approaches, with the\nyounger cop determined to use any method possible to gun down his target. It\nresults in bloodshed and collateral damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is a fine character study, with the older Noel showing\na bit of frailty in his old age, and Mickey\u2019s hasty acts causing all sorts of\nhorrible ramifications. He has a young daughter and while she doesn\u2019t understand\nwhat\u2019s happening, to some degree he appears to come to an understanding of how\nmuch he has let her down over the course of events. Additionally, the cops are\nanything but squeaky clean, with Sarlat ultimately inflicting as much\nunnecessary damage as Mickey. The solid cast and twisty story make this an\ninteresting and engaging crime picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The picture on display is fine, although a little grainer\nthan the other two films. There are some nighttime shots that aren\u2019t as clean\nor crisp as the daytime sequences, but that\u2019s simply how the film was\nphotographed. Overall, it\u2019s a good transfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonuses are also engaging. There is an introduction to the\nmovie by a documentary filmmaker who remarks on the meanings of the picture.\nThere is also an archival making-of with cast and crew interviews. It notes the\npairing of young and old actors, their performer\u2019s own different approaches,\nand how they ultimately found common ground both in the story and working\ntogether. And, you\u2019ll find more interviews with Deneuve, Montand and Depardieu\nfrom the production. An entertaining featurette with a film expert on Yves\nMontand is also included. She does a wonderful job of detailing the\nentertainer\u2019s career and why he was so popular with the French public. It seems\nthat, despite his enormous success, his humble origins and work ethic earned\nhim respect among the working-class, moviegoing public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Additionally, this set also comes with reversible disc\nsleeves with designs based on the original posters for the movies. An 80-page\nbooklet gives even more essays and notes about the movies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you like pulp crime thrillers and are curious about how\ninternational filmmakers interpreted this material and made it their own, Hardboiled:\nThree Pulp Thrillers by Alain Corneau<\/em> is a great collection. It contains a\ntrio of top-notch films proving the French can do it as well as anyone. The\ntitles will be brand new to most viewers in this part of the world and you may\nleave with a newfound appreciation for the genre (as well as wanting to see\nseveral other titles). Be sure to pick it up if you get the chance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray box set from Radiance Films is available as of today. Film noir and crime pictures have always been a staple of US literature and cinema, but they aren\u2019t the only countries to have delved into the genre. France has made its fair share of similarly-themed movies, some of which were even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":35487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[107,110,113,2949,3073,4004,4283,4910,6251,7528,7798,8215,8888,8889,14670,15786,16215,16475,16584,18054,18429,19008,22825,24705],"class_list":["post-30984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-107","tag-110","tag-113","tag-blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-reviews","tag-blu-ray-review","tag-catherine-deneuve","tag-choice-of-arms","tag-crime","tag-drama","tag-film-noir","tag-france","tag-gerard-depardieu","tag-hardboiled","tag-hardboiled-three-pulp-thrillers-by-alain-corneau","tag-neo-noir","tag-patrick-dewaere","tag-police-python-357","tag-pulp","tag-radiance-films","tag-serie-noire","tag-simone-signornet","tag-stefania-sandrelli","tag-thriller","tag-yves-montand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/35487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}