"Creezy" - or should I say, "L'arrivista", "La race des seigneurs", or whatever else they decided to call this marketing disaster has a mess of a plot, where Alain Delon plays Julien Dandieu, a politician so dripping in cynicism that you almost expect him to twirl a mustache while plotting his rise to power. And, of course, what's a powerful man without a predictable dalliance with a model? Enter Creezy, a character whose name alone might make you want to double-check if this is a political drama or a bizarre horror flick.
Sydne Rome gives a performance that can best be described as "barely adequate," which is a bit like calling a house fire "slightly warm." If you're watching the Italian version, you get the added bonus of her being dubbed with a voice so nasal and childlike that you'll be wondering if the casting director lost a bet.
The movie had all the potential to be a saucy, scandalous political drama, but the editors decided to grace us with a choppy mess that's about as thrilling as watching paint dry. The film flits between Julien's "busy" day, where he meets an endless parade of political players and his constant, tedious obsession with the titular Creezy. This obsession is expressed through approximately a billion flashbacks that do nothing to make you care about their lust-driven, originality-free "love" story. By the tenth flashback, you might start rooting for the fast-forward button.
And don't get your hopes up when you see Jeanne Moreau in the credits. Yes, the legendary Jeanne Moreau is in this film, but her role is so secondary and irrelevant that you'll forget she's even there. Remember, even the greatest actors occasionally have bills to pay, which explains her unfortunate presence in this cinematic misfire.
Now, for the pièce de résistance: the flashbacks. If you've ever dreamed of watching Alain Delon and Sydne Rome listen to a tour guide drone on about Roman ruins, or maybe you're dying to hear about wage and pension claims in the middle of your political drama, well, have I got the movie for you!
Finally, a side note: who, in their infinite wisdom, thought naming a character "Creezy" was a stroke of genius? And why were Paris's streets plastered with Creezy posters in varying states of undress? Was every other model in France on holiday?
So, if you're eager to explore Alain Delon's filmography, do yourself a favor - skip this one.
