Band of Outsiders (Bande à part) (1964)

Two young would be criminals obsessed with old Hollywood B-movies compete for the affections of the same woman, and also try to get her to help them commit a robbery...in her own home in this breezy adaptation of the novel Fool's Gold. It's Godard once again giving the world a hip, cool, and jazzy tale involving crime and disaffected youths, yet doing so in a very fun and stylish way that tweaks conventions and expectations, and gets all kinds of praise and proves very influential to many a viewer, namely Tarantino. I dug this film, and found it to be quite enjoyable, and while it is more accessible than Breathless, it's also kinda underwhelming and struck me as somewhat overrated. There's some fun and memorable sequences, including the world record-breaking run through the Louvre, the "minute of silence", and the infectiously fun dance scene, but the film didn't really strike me as gut punchingly lasting. There's perhaps a bit more substance than maybe I picked up on, but maybe I was just too preoccupied with all the style, aesthetics, and the beauty of Anna Karina to notice. Do I recommend it? Yeah. I don't think it's a masterpiece, but I am glad I saw it, and think it's a passable way to spend some time, especially if you want to be more familiar with one of the most revered directors in all of cinema.

"A few clues for latecomers: Several weeks ago... A pile of money... An English class... A house by the river... A romantic young girl..." Two crooks with a fondness for old Hollywood B-movies convince a languages student to help them commit a robbery.

REVIEW Very much in the same vein as his break-out hit Breathless, Band of Outsiders works just the way it is supposed to, an homage to the pulp crime novels and B- movies of America. Here, however, it is all set to the gorgeous and timeless scenery of Paris along with three very bright and engaging people. Sami Frey and Claude Brasseur play Franz and Arthur, two young men who seem to be going nowhere in life except the occasional English class and cruising around in their speedy black, American car. They meet up with a girl they both admire, Odile, played wonderfully by the beautiful Anna Karina, and soon are setting up a plot to steal money from her aunt's boarding house. This is about all the plot there is and about all the plot there needs to be. Since this is based on a dime-store novel by Dolores Hitchens, Godard knew that the climax would be the actual crime. However, what to fill the rest of the time with? Perhaps a fantastic dance number right in the middle of a Parisian restaurant, or the famous scene of the three characters running through the great halls of the Louvre. There are also some very interesting dialog scenes, such as when Arthur and Odile discuss why they like each other, or Arthur and Franz exchanging morbid stories from the newspaper. Like most of Godard's other work, many people will be turned off by his eccentric, offbeat cinematic version of the human condition. Indeed, although he was heavily inspired by American crime tales such as Orson Welles' Touch of Evil, there is a definite French twist here which is all the more entertaining for us. Still, this is certainly one of Godard's best work; completely original and thought-provoking as well as shot in beautiful, stark black-and-white cinematography that captures the rough and rugged era of Paris. Keep your mind open to the possibilities and you may just learn something... or nothing.