Witness in the City

On late fifties the Italian descendant Lino Ventura was paving a solid career at French cinema, at this period he already could choose some roles offered, so to keep his persona intact playing an assassin he asking for the screenwriters humanize Ancelin as we can certify in several sequences, thus audience get sympathy for the ill-fated husband who drew up a foolproof plan to punish his wife's lover after the justice release him of judgement over a premeditated killing throwing her off the moving train, however as old saying states there's no prefect crime, so an unexpected detail as a phone call asking for a cab ends up putting a witness at crime scene, so Ancelin has to hurry up to silence the unluck taxi driver.

Edouard Molinaro enforces a tireless chase thru the night at Paris streets, that provide a perfect bleak atmosphere and backdrops in several spots including the iconic metro, cheap hotel, Parisian Cafés and burlesque ambience as well, all this allied in well-structure screenplay devised by the clever trio Boileau-Narcejac-Oury with low conversation that pleased Ventura plenty, so the thrilling story holds the viewers on the chair waiting what's comes next often cheering on Ancelin somehow, gripping Polar stained in noirish style.

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First watch: 2025 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8.5.

When he found out his gun had no bullets the killer showed him they were in his hand and asked him to hand over the empty gun, he just concurred without any resistance. I don't think a guy like him in that situation would not try to desperately fight for his life, but instead, he just stood there like a moron, trying to explain and begging for mercy. The killer stood sideways to this guy without any concern if the guy would have tried to fight for his life, he just slowly put the bullets back into the chamber. This ridiculous scene and scenario could only happen in a badly scripted screenplay not in a realistic world. When I watched this absurd scene, I had to quit watching to avoid brain damage.

Excellent, very entertaining cat-and-mouse thriller, as an avenging husband (the incomparable Lino Ventura) tries to kill a witness to a murder. In its spare monochrome Decae photography, cool jazz soundtrack, nocturnal settings, focus on elaborate plot mechanics, and privileging of an unlovely outsider, the film is reminiscent of Melville. The 'villain' is only responding to a vicious circle of transgression and injustice, and his plight becomes an allegory for the lonely outsider locked out of a conformist society. The rigorous purity of Melville's aesthetic is softened by romance and comedy, but these only intensify the sense of impending tragedy.

While leaving the scene of his crime, a murderer encounters a cab driver who will be able to identify him. For the rest of the film, the killer hunts down the driver, who becomes a character in the story.

No spoilers for this one, with terrific driving sequences and chases in night-time Paris and some colorful characters. Ventura--who must act without much dialog--is very good, as are Franco Fabrizzi and Sandra Milo (both of whom appear significantly in Fellini films)

This is really a minor work,but which retains a certain passé charm.The main asset of the movie is Henri Decae's cinematography ,as dazzling as usual.All the night scenes are impressive,the taxis gathering for the chase,the zoological garden with its nocturnal birds ,watching the fighting between the two men.

The screenplay is somewhat disappointing,coming for two writers of Boileau-Narcejac calibre(Vertigo,les diaboliques).There are few surprises,unexpected twists,the Boileau-Narcejac trademarks .The very first scene shows Hitchcock's influence ("shadow of a doubt").Lino Ventura is cast against type because he rarely plays the villains.

Perhaps which is to Molinaro's credit is his depiction of the taxi drivers.From their breakfast at dawn in the bistros where they enjoy coffee and croissants to the rooms where the operators send their messages to the drivers,these are charming vignettes of old Paris at the beginning of general De Gaulle mandate.

Edouard Molinaro's best film remains "la mort de Belle"(1963).His career is essentially commercial,the likes of "la cage aux folles" and "l'emmerdeur" (which was to become Billy Wilder's "buddy buddy").