Farewell, Friend

This will probably be my shortest comment ever; but I havent seen this film in years. However I have always liked it as a great vehicle for both Bronson and Delon. Its finely rcrafted, smooth and slick and still has a raw edge to it. When you think about intelligent action films this one is hard to forget.

Alain Delon and Charles Bronson star in "Farewell, Friend" also known as Honor Among Thieves. I believe this film was originally in French, but Delon and Bronson dubbed their own English.

The two men are home from the French Foreign Legion in North Africa. Franz Propp (Bronson) is a mercenary and invites Dino (Delon) to join him. Dino says no.

Figuring he has something interesting on the horizon, Propp starts following him around, which infuriates Dino. He's supposed to help a woman who was a friend of his buddy replace a huge amount of bonds in a safe over Christmas break.

The company she works for is in need of a doctor, which Dino is, and Dino takes the job and sets up a camera to record the numbers of the safe. He then finds out there is $2 million to be left there over Christmas. Unfortunately the camera only shows 3 numbers clearly of the combination.

Propp, of course, wants the money and won't leave the premises. The two stay in the basement of this building for the Christmas weekend, with Dino desperate to get rid of Propp most of the time.

They take turns trying safe combinations and as time goes on, play tricks on one another. Dino buys all the food in the vending machine and then hides it in a table; later, as they're hiding, guards take the table, thus leaving them both with no food.

They lock each other in and out of places. Then their room becomes a sweat box when they are locked in and Propp tries to go through a wall and cuts the air conditioning wires by accident. This gives them an opportunity to remove their shirts so we can see their bodies. Needless to say they both look great.

The questions are - can they open the safe, can they get out of the building when it opens on Tuesday, and the big one, can they live until Tuesday?

This film, which looked to be an adventure/heist type of thing is actually very funny. Bronson and Delon work beautifully together and have a lot of chemistry. And they do learn they have one thing in common - loyalty.

Someone said this film is slow - I didn't find it so. It's a real macho film with charming stars and a lot of humor. And the gorgeous Delon is given many closeups and at one point is in blue pajamas which emphasize his eyes.

I enjoyed it.

An engaging psychological thriller, it's got some fights, girls, guns, muscles and chase scenes, but that's not the point. Ultimately, this film is about friendship and honor. It's a guys' flick, although girls too will be rewarded with Alain Delon's divine mug in plenty a closeup. It is probably Charles Bronson's finest performance ever, and one of Delon's best films. Made entirely in English, this is a good chance for an American viewer to appreciate French thrillers. While trying to imitate Hollywood first, they ended up being much better than the original. This movie will probably not change you as a person, but it will resonate with you.

Utterly tactical, strange (watch for the kinky moment of a drop-dead gorgeous blonde acting as pull-string doll for some rich folks), pointless but undoubtedly compelling late-night feature. This unhinged French production is a stew of perplexedly unfocused ideas and random plot illustrations centred on its very charismatic stars (if somewhat anti-heroes) Alain Delon and Charles Bronson. Really they don't get to do all that much, especially during the confined, lengthy mid-section where they hide themselves in a building during the Christmas break to crack a safe with 10,000 possible combinations. Oh fun! But this is when the odd, if intriguing relationship is formed between Delon and Bronson's characters. After a manipulative battle of wills (and childishly sly games against each other), the two come to an understanding that sees them honour each other's involvement and have a mutual respect. This would go on to play a further part in the twisty second half of the story with that undetectable curve-ball. Still their encounters early on suggest there's more, but what we get is vague and this is magnified by that 'What just happen there?' ending that might just make you jump. YEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! Glad to get that out of the system.

The pacing is terribly slow, but placidly measured for it and this seems purposely done to exhaust with its edgy, nervous underlining tension. Watch as the same process is repeated over and over again, and you know something is not quite right and the scheming eventually comes into play. Now everything that does happen feels too spontaneous, but the climax payoff is haunting. The taut, complex script is probably a little too crafty for its own good, but there are some neat novelties (Coins, glass and liquids… try not spilling) and visual symbolisms. Jean Herman's direction is efficiently sophisticated and low-key, but get a tad artificial and infuse an unwelcoming icy atmosphere. The sound FX features more as a potent note, than that of Francois DeRoubaix's funky score that's mainly kept under wrapped after its sizzling opening. Top drawers Delon (who's quite steely) and Bronson (a jovial turn) are solid, and work off each tremendously. Bernard Fresson chalks up the attitude as the Inspector who knows there's more going on than what is being led on. An attractive female cast features able support by Brigitte Fossey and Olga Georges-Picot.

A cryptically directionless, but polished crime drama maintained by its two leads and some bizarre inclusions.

It was a time when Charles Bronson was featured in French/European productions;for the record ,one can mention "Le Passager de la Pluie "(1969) by René Clément,"De la Part des Copains " (1970)by Terence Young and the curious "Quelqu'un Derrière la Porte" (1971)where he teamed up with Anthony Perkins .

"Adieu L'Ami" is arguably best of Bronson's adventures in France ,and best of Jean Herman's small filmography .It's his only success in France "Jeff" feat Delon again being looked upon as a failure. In "Adieu L'Ami" ,Bronson replaces ,in a certain manner,Lino Ventura. The plot is suspenseful in the grand tradition of Boileau-Narcejac's frame-ups .It's one of the rare Sebastien Japrisot's scripts which does not fall apart after the second reel.The scenes in the corridor climax the movie.What a night!

A note about the cast:

Olga-Georges Picot ,after several conventional parts,sank into porno films and prematurely died.

Brigitte Fossey,whose performance in Clement's "Jeux Interdits" (1952:she was five then)was praised to the skies around the world,came back to making movies in 1967 ("Le Grand Meaulnes").It was the second effort of her second career.She is still acting .

Although Bernard Fresson (who recently died)had begun his career with Resnais ("Hiroshima Mon Amour" ,1959) it took him ten years to draw the French audience's attention : his part of a cop was hailed by the critics.