Dirty Money DVD Review

Dirty Money (or Un Flic, which actually translates as The Cop) is a French crime thriller, and preconceived notions about New Wave influenced French cinema may force some viewers to nod to sleep before it has begun, but there are a few important factors that destroy all preconceived notions. The first are the twists and turns in the film’s script, unabashedly influenced by Hollywood’s film noirs of about thirty years prior to this film. The second, and inexplicably linked to the first, is director Jean-Pierre Melville, and the fact that this is his last film. Melville has a style that is influenced by the style from the French New Wave, preferring longer shots and virtually dialogue void scenes, but the stories and themes that Melville works with are also inspired from Hollywood themes. The mixture somehow works and the art-house genre films are created.

In this elaborate crime caper the mystery surrounds a bank robbery gone wrong that left one dead at the scene, Paris police chief Edouard Colemane (Alain Delon) becomes determined to find the people responsible. He begins to track the gang as they plan a drug heist, learning that the leader of the gang is his friend Simon (Richard Crenna), the owner of a nightclub. Edouard also happens to be sleeping with Simon’s girlfriend, Cathy (Catherine Deneuve), adding another layer to the deception. As with many of Melville’s films, the true brilliance comes from the action sequences, well paced as they may be. The slow and suspenseful moments are deliberately intensified by the steady noises and lack of dialogue as the men wear dark expressions on their faces.

The film moves from suspenseful sequence into the scenes necessary to build these moments, and although the film may only be remembered for these moments, the entire experience is enjoyable. The bank robbery at the beginning of the film is engaging and despite the use of models for a helicopter stunt sequence over a moving train that uses 1972 technology, that still stands out as one of the most effective sequences in the film. These moments help the film overcome any shortcomings that may be there.