When a dangerous criminal is deemed mentally ill, he gets transferred to a psychiatric institution. Whether he is entirely sane is debatable, but he's certainly rational and calculating enough to escape. Now that he's back roaming the streets, the population of France starts to decline in a worrying fashion...
"Le tueur" is a policier about the hunt for an escaped desperado. The cast includes famous names like Bernard Blier and Jean Gabin, two sacred monsters of French cinema, but neither of them get a particularly intriguing role. Both actors also look old and tired. The movie is serviceable enough but for some reason or other it fails to lift off.
For a movie about a killer on the loose, "Le tueur" doesn't bother too much about the character's motives and drives. The man is tall, handsome, athletic and clever - and yet he goes around killing his fellow humans with the same practiced ease as a farmer plucking tomatoes from their stalk. So what makes him tick ? The man also has an older brother, who's a fraudster involved in minor bloodless scams. (The trick with the dirty movies provides a rare note of humor.) You'd think that a person like that would know better than to participate in a killing spree, but no, he's forever helping his kid brother. Again : what makes him tick ? Your guess is as good as mine.
Not a bad movie, just one that fails to ignite and capture the imagination.
"Le tueur" is a policier about the hunt for an escaped desperado. The cast includes famous names like Bernard Blier and Jean Gabin, two sacred monsters of French cinema, but neither of them get a particularly intriguing role. Both actors also look old and tired. The movie is serviceable enough but for some reason or other it fails to lift off.
For a movie about a killer on the loose, "Le tueur" doesn't bother too much about the character's motives and drives. The man is tall, handsome, athletic and clever - and yet he goes around killing his fellow humans with the same practiced ease as a farmer plucking tomatoes from their stalk. So what makes him tick ? The man also has an older brother, who's a fraudster involved in minor bloodless scams. (The trick with the dirty movies provides a rare note of humor.) You'd think that a person like that would know better than to participate in a killing spree, but no, he's forever helping his kid brother. Again : what makes him tick ? Your guess is as good as mine.
Not a bad movie, just one that fails to ignite and capture the imagination.