Army of Shadows (2006)

You won't be disappointed!

From my favorite movies..

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

"L'armée des ombres" was made in 1969 to tell the true story of part of the French Resistance during the Nazi occupation of World War II. It centres around Philippe Gerbier and his cell of operatives. He is given up by a traitor and sent to a concentration camp, but he manages to escape and takes up the fight again.This documents the very real way that they had to operate and it is done in a completely unvarnished way. They had to be ruthless but often lacked the efficiency and / or training to do things properly. It is filmed in a way that emphasises the coldness of the time. There is a constant sense of unease and looming disaster throughout that keeps you entranced. At one point Gerbier says 'all debts are paid in the end' in a prophetic statement of their inevitable fate.Starring screen great Lino Ventura as Gerbier who apparently refused to talk directly to the director for the duration of filming. Brilliantly supported by Simone Signoret as Mathilde in a role where she simply steals every scene and this is where minimalism is the by word, so some achievement. There are a number of films that all cinephiles need to see and I believe that this is arguably one of them it is certainly one of French cinemas finest films and a very fitting tribute to the members of the Resistance that are depicted here.

I have now watched this film twice, though I repressed the first viewing and only realized that I had watched it before at a couple of points during the second viewing. The film is well made. The pace of the action and the cinematography are excellent. Why would I have repressed such a film from my consciousness? Probably because it's downright depressing. The plot revolves nearly entirely around a group of French resistance fighters who are depicted doing nothing beyond protecting themselves and their comrades. In the process, they all become killers, and yet none of them is saved in the end by their willingness to dirty their hands. In this way, the film offers a classic portrait of corruption. Men who would never have dreamed of strangling to death a young man, or shooting a woman who actually saved their lives, end up committing such brutal acts of homicide in the name of "the cause"--though often, again, it seems more like self-preservation and perhaps even revenge killing. This is a realistic and, I imagine, controversial depiction of the French resistance, as it suggests that their efforts were largely irrelevant to the defeat of the Nazis. The partisans seem more concerned in this portrayal with protecting themselves than with anything else.I suppose that one might retort that the fact that the action of the film focuses on the resistance fighters' self-preservation efforts does not preclude the possibility that they did lots of good and saved other people's lives at the same time. But it's all left in the shadows, and they do seem rather consumed by their primary focus. Did the defeat of Hitler have anything whatsoever to do with what any of these people did? Or did they become murderers and end up killed as a result for no good reason?Were these killers (all of whom appear to have died before the end of the war) not created in the image of the agents of evil which they claimed to be laboring to defeat?

At 150 minute this French film from the late 1960's sat on my queue as one of those 'should watch' films more than a 'want to watch' or 'easy watch' titles; I know all of us on IMDb would love to be considered great connoisseurs of cinema, but for me at least this was the case and it was only my desire to have something a bit heavier one evening that had me sit and watch it. From the very start the tone is very deliberate, slow and still. There are no great action sequences such as you would expect in a regular war movie (ironically the closest we get produces one of the few weak moments in the film) and instead the resistance is about communication and supporting Allied efforts in small but meaningful ways.Based on reportedly the definitive text on the subject by Joseph Kessel, this film has a very authentic feel to it throughout and I can understand why some feel it is too long and too slow, because it is long and it is slow. However, I didn't feel like this was a problem in the film – which was a nice surprise because I was braced for it to be this way. Instead the slow pace means that tensions are built up and the risks are tangible. It is one thing to say people are risking their lives and another to really appreciate what that means; this film tries to give us that feeling or risk, of real danger – not of dodging bullets (although again, when it does, it is a weaker moment!) but more of just risk of discovery, of betrayal and the near certainty of death as a result.It is not only the tension that this approach supports, because the film also makes it clear the threat to the humanity, and the moral mess of their actions and motivations. Hearing the inner thoughts of the characters at times was a useful device and it fitted with the film since it did generally have a meditative quality to it. The sparse dialogue and in particular the minimal use of any sort of score also aids the feeling of something real and as a result I found it additionally engaging, gripping and moving. This is not to say it is without its faults; once or twice I thought it dragged a bit although ironically my main issue with the film was probably the biggest moment of action, which was in the machine gun alley; not to ruin anything for anyone, but it is highly unlikely as a bit of plotting and it stands out awkwardly in a film that seems to be all about responsible realism.Performances are strong across the board, with a lot being done between the words and a lot of meaning discovered in small gestures. The camera sits back and lets them work and we have lots of steady, patience shots which look good and add to the still tension of the piece. It is perhaps not the easiest film to sell, but it delivers a responsible and engaging drama on the resistance, shunning sentiment, flamboyant heroic sacrifice and big action set pieces but instead showing the small but meaningful actions which came with high risk and severe consequences.

Based on Joseph Kessel's real life experiences as a member of the French Resistance, the head of the Resistance is imprisoned in a camp after being given away by a traitor. He manages to escape and kill the informant, but this leaves him without knowing who he can trust.Technically its a good movie, the cinematography was really good looking, the acting was subtle in a good way. It reminded me very much of Brian De Palma and Quentin Tarantino films, specially of the films "Blow Out", "Carlito's Way", "Reservoir Dogs", and of course "Inglourious Basterds". It was very alike to those films, for its themes and also for some technical aspects.I enjoyed the voice over narration, it really stood out and there was also a sense of realism as opposed to Hollywood action, like one specific scene when at the beginning when the protagonist escapes from the Nazis by killing one by stabbing him in the neck and instead of getting his machine gun and killing the rest and maybe even saving other prisoners (like what would happen in a Hollywood film) he just reacts like someone who just killed a man would, he runs away. While I have to admit there were parts that had me kind of bored, the film does end with a bang, which left me thinking a while.This is my first Melville film and I'm anxious to see the rest, but I couldn't see anything great or outstanding from this film. I have to mention the DVD quality was pretty bad so that might have something to with me not seeing it as anything special, I already ordered my out of print criterion blu-ray though, so I will be watching it again in better quality later on.I'd recommend it to anyone who liked "Au Revoir Les Enfants", "The Pianist", "Come and See", "The Deer Hunter", "Full Metal Jacket", and/or "Apocalypse Now".