Evan’s review published on Letterboxd:
I’m fairly well-versed in following noir down its various convoluted rabbit-holes (save for The Big Sleep, which never makes any sense even with the help of Google), but admittedly, I lost my way more than once on this one, and whether that’s down to me or Melville’s trigger-finger style — I don’t know. Either way, I’m not about to blame this gem for being smarter than me. Compared to Melville’s more celebrated later works Army of Shadows and Le Cercle Rouge, Le Doulos is a typically energised mid-career entry, with none of the trademark stasis that comprises the aforementioned works. This blast of visual bravura, complete with jazzy riffs and majestic long-takes, is not only utterly thrilling, but dare I say the coolest, most cynical French caper I’ve ever had the pleasure of sitting down with. If that doesn’t cut it, Belmondo has never been better. Up there with Miller’s Crossing as one of the greatest hat-movies ever made.
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