The Gang (1977)
In 1945, as World War Two comes to a close, five small time crooks unite to form a gang led by the charismatic Alain Delon. After several bold robberies they become notorious as “the front-wheel drive gang.” The police attempt to stop their crime spree with little success, but how long will their luck last?
While not particularly groundbreaking, The Gang is an entertaining enough crime film that succeeds largely on the charisma of the performers. While much of this can be attributed to Alain Delon as the impulsive leader Robert, the heart of the film resides with Nicole Calfari as Robert’s wife, Marinette. Told through her eyes, the story is provided with an added layer of tragedy as you want Robert to feel fulfilled with what he has instead of being driven to keep putting his life on the line for monetary gain. Compared to what we have become accustomed to in more modern crime films, the titular “gang” of thieves are not given particularly memorable personalities outside of Robert. The film does offer up some solid thrilling set pieces that are aided by more lingering shots on the action instead of quick cuts that dissipate tension. One of the most memorable scenes in the film is Robert in a police station halfway through the film that may not play out exactly as you expect. The movie is fairly predictable otherwise and shows the folly in greed in a pretty effective way. This is far from the best Delon film, but fans should enjoy it well enough.
Three Men To Kill (1980)
In this Gritty, violent and suspenseful thriller, Delon plays Gerfaut who comes to the aid of a man lying wounded in the road, not knowing the man has taken two bullets to the belly. Soon he becomes the target for the killers, who see him as a dangerous witness. But Gerfaut has been around the block a couple of times and he won’t be so easily eliminated.
While The Gang may not amount to something truly special, Three Men To Kill fares a lot better thanks to the cues it takes from the intricately plotted Hitchcock films of yore. Delon turns in a much stronger performance here as a “good samaritan” who finds himself mixed up in a plot that seemingly spells doom for him. The way director Jacques Deray slowly unfurls the mystery and tightens the vice on Gerfaut provides a pulse-pounding experience. The mere fact that he is first attacked while swimming in the ocean in broad daylight shows how brazen the people after him are willing to be in order to keep him quiet – not that he has any of the actual knowledge they believe he has. The action in this film is sharply directed, especially a thrilling car chase through the city that puts you right in the thick of it. Dalila De Lazzaro turns in a pleasing performance as the girlfriend, Bea, even if the sum total of her role goes towards humanizing Gerfaut. The story has a real knockout of an ending that the best Eurocrime movies dare to offer up. Those who approach this film should do so knowing that the plot is not believable, after all it concerns shady figures plotting mass destruction while stroking a cat, but if you are willing to go along for the ride you should have fun with it.
Video Quality
The Gang and Three Men To Kill have been “newly restored” by Pathé and released by the Cohen Film Collection with brand new 1080p masters in their original aspect ratios. The exact details of the source elements were not readily available, but the only word to describe these presentations is gorgeous. The lovely photography which captures the gritty underbelly of France sparkles in high definition with natural grain intact and nicely resolved. There is a fantastic amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing, and the new transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail. Admittedly the close-up shots hold up better than the long shots when it comes to the most subtle elements. There are certain elements like the production design that look quite striking in their clarity. Black levels are very deep with no trace of black crush or compression artifacts. Some very minor color temperature fluctuations give certain darker scenes a more milky appearance, but for the most part this is not an issue. The contrast is well defined, and there is virtually no print damage to be found outside a few stray specks. The Cohen Film Collection has done a miraculous job with all of these transfers in a way that should make anyone who decides to pick this set up extremely happy.
Audio Quality
The Gang and Three Men To Kill are given an LPCM 2.0 track in the original French with optional English subtitles. Each of these tracks represents these worlds in a pretty impressive way sonically. These tales mostly take place in a mixture of urban and rural settings which creates a din of sound that creeps through to provide some excellent ambient details. The gentle waves on the beach during Three Men To Kill are especially lovely. All of the various sounds in the mix seem accurately rendered so that nothing ever feels off. The dialogue itself comes through crystal clear without being crushed by the sound effects or score. There are many moments of gunshots that pack enough of a punch without becoming a muddled mess in the ensuing chaos. The memorable music throughout these films brings a very distinct mood to the proceedings that is represented well in the mix. The only instance that sounds a bit off is a minor audio fluctuation during the opening credits of The Gang. Everything else is presented with an excellent fidelity with only the occasional instance of sound presenting as a bit thin or boxy. This presentation is free of any hiss or other age-related wear-and-tear. The Cohen Film Collection has done quite a nice job here.
Special Features
- Trailers: There are trailers provided for The Gang (1:31) and Three Men To Kill (1:22).
Final Thoughts
The Gang and Three Men To Kill stand out as two solid films from acclaimed French filmmaker Jacques Deray fronted by a magnetic Alain Delon. The latter proves to be the more engrossing film, but both are worthy of your time thanks to their skillful execution. The Cohen Film Collection has released a Blu-Ray featuring two new restorations boasting a strong A/V presentation, but not much at all in the way of special features. If you are a fan of any of the talent involved, you should be pleased with the quality of the disc. Recommended
The Gang/Three Men To Kill: Two Films By Jacques Deray will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on August 31, 2021.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
