text: Meville's caper film is not as good as his most famous movie, the deliciously stylish "Le Samourai (1968)." I don't even think this is the best example of the much-loved heist subgenre. The main thing against the film is its long running time. Meville has this tendency of concentrating on too many trivial details. He could have told the same story in a relative short time, but for reasons that I don't understand, the film seems to go on and on. Still, the movie is never boring. Melville's direction impressed me and the cast is very good, especially Alain Delon as a very "cool" master thief. The movie's must-see color photography is a great asset and Melville uses sound (or lack of sound) in a very effective manner. From a technical standpoint, the movie is practically flawless. At times, one gets the feeling that Meville is merely showing off, but when someone is as talented as he is, one has little reason to complain. I still like other heist movies a little bit more (Jules Dassin's "Topkapi (1964)," just to name one), but there is no denying that this film is a good piece of pulp entertainment and a good example of what people refer to as "cool" cinema.