Le Doulos
ScreeningNotes

Review by ScreeningNotes Patron

Le Doulos

1962
★★★★ Liked

Watched 30 Oct 2015

"You have to choose… to die, or to lie?"

You either die an [honest] villain or live long enough to see yourself become the [dishonest] hero.

Exceptionally exciting and thoroughly thrilling gangster mystery at its best in the way it navigates having two protagonists without weighing one of them more heavily than the other, both emotionally and narratively (so crucial in a story about betrayal—we never feel we know who "le doulos" is until the end). Perhaps Melville's central text on brotherhood. At its worst in the way it keeps the audience in the dark as long as possible about the machinations of the plot, but the characters are so strong that it never feels contrived. I can't believe this is only my fourth favorite Melville at the moment; that man knew how to direct some great movies.

Jean-Pierre Melville | France | Wipes
Paste's 100 Best Noirs

Block or Report

ScreeningNotes liked these reviews

All
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_339a386a-4f55-4f82-afbf-c6024096bd92" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-339a386a-4f55-4f82-afbf-c6024096bd92'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div -tile300x250 -alignleft -bottommargin'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'med_rect_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-339a386a-4f55-4f82-afbf-c6024096bd92'); }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-339a386a-4f55-4f82-afbf-c6024096bd92'));
' ].join(''); if ( adsScript && adsScript === 'bandsintown' && adsPlatforms && ((window.isIOS && adsPlatforms.indexOf("iOS") >= 0) || (window.isAndroid && adsPlatforms.indexOf("Android") >= 0)) && adsLocations && adsMode && ( (adsMode === 'include' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) >= 0) || (adsMode === 'exclude' && adsLocations.indexOf(window.adsLocation) == -1) ) ) { var opts = { artist: "", song: "", adunit_id: 100005950, div_id: "cf_async_449d2819-3b39-4301-83fe-b0a445b870b9" }; adUnit.id = opts.div_id; if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//srv.tunefindforfans.com/fruits/apricots.js";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; } else { adUnit.id = 'pw-449d2819-3b39-4301-83fe-b0a445b870b9'; adUnit.className = 'pw-div'; adUnit.setAttribute('data-pw-' + (renderMobile ? 'mobi' : 'desk'), 'sky_btf'); if (target) { target.insertAdjacentElement('beforeend', adUnit); } else { tag.insertAdjacentElement('afterend', adUnit); } adUnit.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', kicker); window.ramp.que.push(function () { window.ramp.addTag('pw-449d2819-3b39-4301-83fe-b0a445b870b9'); }); } } tag.remove(); })(document.getElementById('script-449d2819-3b39-4301-83fe-b0a445b870b9'));