Band of Outsiders

Critics Consensus

An oddball heist movie with an dark streak that picks apart every rule in filmmaking.

94%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 49

91%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 12,459

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Band of Outsiders Photos

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Movie Info

Cinephile slackers Franz (Sami Frey) and Arthur (Claude Brasseur) spend their days mimicking the antiheroes of Hollywood noirs and Westerns while pursuing the lovely Odile (Anna Karina). The misfit trio upends convention at every turn, be it through choreographed dances in cafés or frolicsome romps through the Louvre. Eventually, their romantic view of outlaws pushes them to plan their own heist, but their inexperience may send them out in a blaze of glory -- which could be just what they want.
  • Genre:
    crime, drama
  • Original Language:
    French (Canada)
  • Director:
    Jean-Luc Godard
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $37.7K
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Anouchka Films, Dorsay Films
  • Sound Mix:
    Mono

Cast & Crew

Anna Karina
Odile
Sami Frey
Franz
Claude Brasseur
Arthur
Jean-Luc Godard
Le narrateur
Chantal Darget
Arthur's Aunt
Michel Delahaye
Le portier
Danièle Girard
English Teacher
Luisa Colpeyn
Madame Victoria
Claude Makovski
Pupil
Ernest Menzer
Arthur's Uncle
Jean-Luc Godard
Director
Jean-Luc Godard
Writer
Dolores Hitchens
Writer
Michel Legrand
Original Music
Raoul Coutard
Cinematographer
Françoise Collin
Film Editor
Dahlia Ezove
Film Editor
Agnès Guillemot
Film Editor
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Critic Reviews for Band of Outsiders (Bande à part)

All Critics (49) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (3)

  • Behind its substantial charm and light touch is a movie that's more morbid, alienated, and personal than it lets on.

    May 5, 2016 | Rating: A | Full Review…

    Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

    AV Club
    Top Critic

  • This 1964 feature remains one of Godard's most appealing and underrated films, relatively relaxed and strangely optimistic.

    March 3, 2008 | Rating: 4/4

    Dave Kehr

    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic

  • Grave, light-hearted and quietly poetic.

    October 21, 2006 | Full Review…

    Philippa Hawker

    The Age (Australia)
    Top Critic

  • One of Godard's most open and enjoyable films.

    February 11, 2006 | Full Review…
    Time Out
    Top Critic

  • As charming as seasoned film buffs remember and as refreshing as initiates expect.

    January 17, 2002

    Philip Wuntch

    Dallas Morning News
    Top Critic

  • Delivers one clever idea atop another.

    January 4, 2002 | Full Review…

    John Monaghan

    Detroit Free Press
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (49)

Audience Reviews for Band of Outsiders (Bande à part)

  • Nov 10, 2013
    Band of Outsiders is ultimately one of Godard's lesser films due to its lack of a focused plot, but it's this very same lack of focus that creates three unforgettable sequences (The minute of silence, the Madison dance scene, and the record-breaking sprint through the Louvre), and these scenes along with Anna Karina's charming screen presence make Band of Outsiders more than enjoyable enough to be worth seeing for any Godard fan.
    Joey S Super Reviewer
  • Sep 10, 2011
    Band Of Outsiders is an influential French New Wave classic by Jean-Luc Godard that features a relaxed and youthful band of three scheming an inside robbery. Endearing. Appealing.
    Jan Marc M Super Reviewer
  • May 14, 2011
    One of my favorite Godard films.
    Alex H Super Reviewer
  • Dec 11, 2010
    <i>"A few clues for latecomers: Several weeks ago... A pile of money... An English class... A house by the river... A romantic young girl..."</i> Two crooks with a fondness for old Hollywood B-movies convince a languages student to help them commit a robbery. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> 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.
    Lorenzo v Super Reviewer
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