Le deuxième souffle

Jean Pierre Melville does a masterful job of capturing the mind of the gangster. We have a cruel executioner who escapes prison with his compadres. In the process of a visit, he finds that his actions, even though innocent at times, lead to violence and death. The natural result is a policeman who gets on his case, aware of the evil the guy has done. He is like a bulldog as he pursues Gu. Gu is a frightening person and if one made a mistake it would cost you dearly. Eventually, we have the obligatory shootout. The strength of this film, which could have been ordinary, is the camera and what it does to push the action. There are numerous settings that squeeze action as well. I have really enjoyed Melville, coming upon him later in my life.