Le Ruffian
1983 Adventure / Comedy
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Credits
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Summary
Aldo, a middle-aged adventurer, seeks to make his fortune by working in a gold mine in
Canada. One day, the mineworkers are attacked and all but wiped out by a group of
armed bandits who intend to steal their gold. Only Aldo and two Canadian Indians
survive the massacre, and in return they kill the bandits. The trio decide to run
off with the gold. Suspecting his new allies are about to double-cross him, Aldo
drives off without them, but he then loses the gold whilst crossing a river. Determined
to recover the gold, Aldo returns to his former home in Montreal and tries to persuade
his friends to help him. His best friend Gérard, a former motorcar-racing
driver who lost the use of his legs in an accident, agrees to give his support, along
with his wife, Éléonore and another friend John. Unfortunately, the
two Indians whom Aldo betrayed have not given up the gold either…
Review
Lino Ventura and Bernard Giraudeau make a dream team in this American-style adventure
film from writer-director José Giovanni. Despite its somewhat rambling plot
and a far from original scenario, the film is worth watching, if only for the stunning
photography of one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Ennio Morricone’s
score wittily gives the film the feel of a stylish spaghetti western, a sub-genre which
shows its influence in a number of Giovanni’s films. Whilst the film passes
as a respectable adventure film, the strength of the on-screen rapport between Ventura
and Giraudeau makes it function better as a study in friendship and camaraderie.
It is a more human variation on the “honour amongst thieves” motif of the
traditional French gangster film, a genre with which Giovanni is intimately associated.
© James Travers 2004 Write a review for this film... |
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