Borsalino and Co.

An old recipe of crime-thriller-revenge, good for fans of Alain Delon but easy to see it with large indulgence today. All is more than familiar, correct and predictable against the effort to surprise. So, murders and America. And, sure, Alain Delon as the blank-faced hero.

First of all, I admit that I will watch anything with Alain Delon in it. Even that insufferably pretentious 1960s snooze-fest, The Eclipse. That drop-dead gorgeous man will continue to accelerate my pulse until I'm 90 (if I get that far). Nature's most perfect production and never repeated.

Having made that clear, I'm surprised at the negative reviews. I find this second installment far superior to the first Borsalino. In the first place, it's daubed in English (American English) and that is a lot better than the first one, which was daubed by French people speaking English (and you can tell). In the second place, then fight scenes are much more realistic than in the first film, where you could see very clearly that the blows didn't even reach the recipient. IMO, the first Borsalino was more of a comedy caper, while B & Co. is more sober, more of a real gangster film. Perhaps a bit slow, but that's how they did things in those days. Personally, I prefer them to the crash, bang, thank you, ma'am 'action' films of today.

Maybe I'm biased because I grew up watching European films of that era and I still love most of the French flic and gangster films made in those days.

My advice to young people is if you cannot watch old films with an open mind (e.i. without automatically comparing them unfavorably to the new ones, or without making the necessary concessions) just pass them by. Stick to The Godfather and Good Fellas (the last one atrocious, in my opinion, but that's just me).

All in all, B & Co. is not a bad film. Give it a chance.

I have been a fan of Alain Delon for many years, since first seeing his stunning performance as Tom Ripley in Rene Clement's superb Plein Soleil. He's one of the great icons of French cinema.

Borsalino was a film that I remembered very fondly; although I hadn't seen it since its first release it has always remained vividly in my memory, and when I saw that Kino had released it on disc I ordered it on line. What I received was this sequel, which I wasn't even aware had been made, however I watched it and was hugely disappointed. If like me you remember the original fondly, then avoid the sequel.

According to the distributors the original Borsalino is not available. Ever the optimist, I'll continue to try to track down a copy.

For those who enjoy 'the Godfather' and the Sicilian landscapes, Borsalino & Co. is a different view of French gangsterism in the South of France around the 1930's. Alain Delon plays the lead character of Roch Siffredi, a gangster who must fend his empire against the Italian mob who tries to muscle its way through Roch Siffredi's territory and enterprises. How Roch is able to fight back and make an unprecedented comeback while exacting his vengeance on the Italian mob is most original and Machiavellian.

Bottom line, revenge is sweet, and the movie makes great effort in recreating a 1930's decor. The background music and the theme song are particularly enjoying.

BORSALINO & CO. (1974) starred Alain Delon and Ricardo Cucciolla.

This is a sequel to the highly acclaimed BORSALINO which apparently is unavailable. Well, if there is one thing I hate it's dubbing. This was dubbed. Delon's voice was too low. The voices always sound disembodied to me.

The story takes place in the mid-1930s France, and it concerns a gangland war between the Volpone (Cucciolla) gang and the Roch Siffredi (Delon) gang. Initially, Volpone wins and plans to saturate the country with heroin, but Siffredi carefully works out his revenge.

It's a typical Godfather-type film without being the Godfather. Lots of cars crashing, violence, shooting, and a particularly unpleasant final scene. All very macho.

On IMDb one of the posters said, "Alain Delon, already past his prime..." Yeah, what a dog. He was a GOD, and with his hair slicked back, evening clothes, and beautifully tailored suits, he looked as if he walked off the pages of Italian Vogue. If your idea of "prime" is 25, that's sad. To each age its own beauty.