Director Jean-Pierre Melville told his biographer that his plan was to reunite France's two greatest stars of the 1960-70s, Delon and Belmondo, in LE CERCLE ROUGE, but Belmondo thought his part meager by comparison with Delon's, rejected it, Gian Maria Volonté replaced him, and so BORSALINO, directed by Jacques Deray, remains the only film in which Delon and Belmodo appeared together.
Melville was an infinitely better director than the mediocre Deray. I doubt that a period film (1930s) like BORSALINO would interest Melville, but in the hands of the latter I am certain that BORSALINO would be far grittier, realistic, and less tailored for Delon.
Make no mistake, I rate Delon a better actor than Belmondo but, as the film's producer, it is obvious that he had decisionmaking powers that Belmondo did not, and you sense how strenuous the rapport must have been between the two men, with Belmondo feeling belittled and duped, and with Delon getting extensive "look good" shots throughout.
Despite being the better actor, Delon is too wooden in this film. He always looks stiff as he tries to display his famous physical attributes. In turn, Belmondo just looks like he is honoring the contract and can't wait for the shooting to be over. According to reports, Delon and Belmondo hardly talked to each other during production, and never again after shooting was over.
Even the usually reliable Bouquet looks pedestrian in this production, and the female lead, Rouvel, is a near non-entity. She starts as the love object both men want, then seems to go with Delon, but finally stays with Belmondo, and one can see that she looks lost. Her part is small and adds zero to the film.
Cinematography is careless. Stunts are poor. The fight between the two men at their first encounter would have suited a Bud Spencer-Terence Hill vehicle, but actors like D&B are wasted here.
The meandering script is very glib, keep skipping over details, and there's far too much padding. 30 minutes could have been removed and the film might even be better for it.
