UN FLIC / DIRTY MONEY

Alain Delon

UN FLIC (aka Dirty Money/1972). Director: Jean-Pierre Melville.

Simon (Richard Crenna of The Evil) owns a nightclub in Paris but is secretly head of a gang that robs banks and steals a load of heroin off of a train. Simon's girlfriend, Cathy (Catherine Deneuve), is shared by Simon's friend, Edouard Coleman (Alain Delon), who happens to be a cop investigating these very crimes ... Un Flic (which means "a cop" in French) certainly has an intriguing premise, but the approach -- which is either minimalist or merely indicative of too much being left on the cutting room floor --  strips it of real intensity, as the characters are all stick figures. We never learn how Simon and the other gang members fit together, how he got to become friends with Edouard, the true relationship between Cathy and either man etc. and all we're left with is some modestly well-crafted "caper" scenes, one of which features some unfortunate and unconvincing miniatures of a train and helicopter. Delon [The Yellow Rolls Royce] is terrific, in spite of the fact that we don't learn too much about him except that he's quite tough and rigorously unsentimental. Deneuve is given so little to do it's a wonder why she even bothered showing up on the set. Michael Conrad, who appeared with Joan Crawford on The Virginian,  plays one of the gang members, and there's nice work from an unknown actress (?) who plays a transvestite who provides Eduoard with information. One expects a final revelation or twist that never comes, and some moments are simply inexplicable.This was Melville's last film.

Verdict: This example of French film noir holds the attention but you keep hoping for more. **1/2.