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Tirez sur le pianiste (Shoot the Piano Player) (1960)

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Top Critics

Average Rating: 8.6/10
Reviews Counted: 19
Fresh: 18 | Rotten: 1

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Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 3
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 1

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Average Rating: 4/5
User Ratings: 6,066

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Movie Info

Francois Truffaut's loving homage to Hollywood gangster films is less a plot-filled film noir than a free-associative meditation on the genre. Charles Aznavour stars as a one-time concert pianist who gained fame as Edouard Saroyan but has since changed his name to Charlie Kohler and plays honky-tonk in an out-of-the-way saloon. His self-imposed exile is shattered by the appearance of his mobster brother Richard Saroyan (Jacques Aslanian). Richard and his other brother, Chico (Albert Remy), are

Unrated, 1 hr. 32 min.

Drama, Romance, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

Directed By: Fran�ois Truffaut

Written By: David Goodis, Fran�ois Truffaut

On DVD: May 18, 1999

Cast

Charles Aznavour
Edouard Saroyan/Charlie...
Nicole Berger
Theresa
Marie Dubois
Lena
Michele Mercier
Clarisse
Albert Remy
Chico Saroyan
Claude Mansard
Momo
Bobby Lapointe
Singer
Jean-Jacques Aslanian
Richard Saroyan
Serge Davri
Plyne
Alex Joff�
Passerby
Richard Kanayan
Fido Saroyan
Catherine Lutz
Mammy
Alice Sapritch
Concierge
Daniel Boulanger
Ernest
Claude Heymann
Lars Schmeel
Boby Lapointe

Critic Reviews for Tirez sur le pianiste (Shoot the Piano Player)

All Critics (22) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (21) | Rotten (1) | DVD (11)

The determined jollity of Georges Delerue's saloon piano score, which later opens up to encompass a wide world of romanticism, sets the tone for Francois Truffaut's audacious second feature, made in 1960.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune

| Comment

Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune

Top Critic

Truffaut's form of self-reflection is ultimately a way of playing the audience.

September 4, 2008 Full Review Source: Village Voice

| Comment

J. Hoberman

Village Voice

Top Critic

It is a teasing and frequently amusing (or moving) film that M. Truffaut has made, but it simply does not hang together.

May 20, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

Top Critic

One of those rare movies that you're sorry to see end.

September 16, 2009 Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

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Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

It's my favorite Truffaut film, not because it's the best but because it's the most enjoyable.

November 4, 2008 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews

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Dennis Schwartz

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Often overlooked, Truffaut's wonderful second film stars Charles Aznavour, master of the chanson, in his only collaboration with the director.

September 4, 2008 Full Review Source: Time Out New York

| Comment

Melissa Anderson

Time Out New York

A landmark film that took the world three decades to accept

February 12, 2007 Full Review Source: Old School Reviews

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John A. Nesbit

Old School Reviews Source: Old School Reviews

An affectionate tribute to the low-budget crime movies that Truffaut so loved, and it's one of my favorite Truffaut films.

June 13, 2005 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid

| Comment

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

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Audience Reviews for Tirez sur le pianiste (Shoot the Piano Player)

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A second from Fran�ois Truffaut, Shoot The Piano Player boldly shoots how the past haunts the present and shall continuously pester the future. Crime, drama, romance, and mystery right on target.

September 10, 2011

Jan Marc Macababayao

Super Reviewer

A heavily noir influenced crime drama about the inability to escape your past. For only his second feature, this film feels bold and mature. While it is much more stylized than his debut, it still retains a lot of the heart that made the 400 Blows so good.

April 6, 2011