Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

gavin6942 Bob, a middle-aged gambler and ex-con living in the Montmartre district of Paris, experiences a run of bad luck that leaves him nearly broke. Bob is a gentleman with scruples, well liked in the demi-monde community. He has unsuccessfully tried to rob a bank in the past, and has spent time in prison.Vincent Canby, writing in 1981, noted "Melville's affection for American gangster movies may have never been as engagingly and wittily demonstrated as in Bob le Flambeur, which was only the director's fourth film, made before he had access to the bigger budgets and the bigger stars of his later pictures." "Bob le flambeur" influenced the two versions of the American film Ocean's Eleven (1960 and 2001) as well as Paul Thomas Anderson's "Hard Eight", and was remade by Neil Jordan as "The Good Thief" in 2002. What I love about this is how the genre comes full circle. With the western, it had to go to Italy before it come back and be reborn in the United States. Apparently for the gangster film, it had to detour through France.Seemingly, American studios could not be inspired by John Ford or William Wellman until their work was properly recognized by some European counterparts in the 1950s and 1960s. But that is not surprising.

Ore-Sama Absent of the stylization of "Le Samurai" and not as gritty or violent as crime thrillers of the 60's, "Bob the Gambler", from Jean Pier Melville, is none the less an important film historically for it's influence on the crime genre, heist films specifically. However, how does it hold up as a film?Certainly there is sufficient build up to the heist. We see every step of the planning, with plenty of twists and turns leading up to it, and once things get started, the suspense is certainly there, though without giving anything away, the suspense doesn't come the way one would expect it to, but the tension is definitely there. There is violence, though not a whole lot, and it's obscured, so don't expect much in the way of high octane gun action.While the sections of the film dealing with the heist itself, the planning, build up and execution would all be enough to make this a fine film, what elevates it even more is the characterization. Bob is a a retired criminal, who all ready served twenty years in prison. Now friends with a cop and living seemingly straight, he's none the less prone to gambling and losing. He takes a father like role to Paulo, who aspires to be like him, and takes a liking to a young woman, Anne. He's seemingly a good person, willing to help others whenever he can. However, when he loses most of his fortune on a foolish bet, he gets a team together for a grand scale heist. This film is about more than a heist, it's about a flawed man whose vices will ensure he is never completely on the straight and narrow. Paulo also falls prey to his desire to win over and impress Anne, at any cost. The highlight of the film for me is the characters, fully realized and done justice by fantastic performances from everyone involved. I won't spoil the ending, but it's one of those endings that makes you completely rethink your earlier perceptions.Cinematography, while not as amazing as "Le Samurai", is still something to appreciate, with clear influences from American crime and noir films.SHould be approached as more of a crime drama than a full out, action packed heist film. Definitely recommended.

evening1 Here we have a remarkable portrait of a man who is dashing, suave, and together on the outside but who can't pass a second without drawing on a cigarette, tipping a glass, or tossing a card or die. This classic caper film is often mentioned along with "Breathless" -- and its protagonist, it seems, would suffocate if he couldn't indulge his addictions.The film draws you in like an addictive substance: You can't help but want to try it, and once you do, you're hooked. When Bob is on screen you can't look away. Presence like this is a treat. (Who is this actor, Roger Duchesne, anyway? I'd never seen him before and there's nothing but a 'stub' on him on Wikipedia. Dommage!) I loved this film but it leaves me uncomfortable and dissatisfied, though I don't fault the production. My discomfort centers on the sense of waste and missed opportunity that defines addiction. There is a part of Bob that wants to connect meaningfully with other human beings, particularly in a fatherly, mentor-like way. (Lacking a father and having an overworked, washerwoman mother he himself missed out on this kind of nurturing.) He takes stabs at trying to protect Paolo, the son of an ex-heist partner, and he tries to shelter the underage streetwalker Anne, but his efforts seem desultory at best. Bob can't focus for more than a moment or two on anything that could lead to intimacy. There's always that next drink, drag, or bet to pursue...As Bob tells the police commissioner, he's been "good" for the past 20 years, yet he rots in a jail of his own making. We see the extent of this devastation in the final scene when Bob rides in the squad car after his crew has been killed. To Bob it's just another day, another deal. He even looks younger, with his hair more graying than white at this point, as he hints at buying out the cops. It's only a matter of time before he's back at the tables. That's when he'll be breathing freely again...

Michael_Elliott Bob le flambeur (1956) **** (out of 4) Outstanding heist film about an old-time gangster and gambler (Roger Duchesne) who finds himself broke when he hears that a casino will have a large sum of cash available for the taking. Even though his friends and even the police warn him against it, he decides to try for one last heist. The French noir genre seems to be growing more and more popular each passing year as film buffs continue to check out new, forgotten or need-to-be rediscovered films from the genre. I came to this one first as I had heard it was one of the greatest and it's somewhat hard to imagine, after seeing it, that anything else could really come close. Everything runs so smoothly that one can't help but be entertained by the events going on and especially the noir-ish acts of always blaming the women for everything that goes wrong. This film comes off so fresh and original that one can't help but imagine what it must have been like in 1956 when this stuff really was ground breaking. One of the many positive aspects is the terrific cinematography that constantly has the film floating around and really giving us a great look at the streets, the casino and various other important things for the plot. The way the music score just blends in so well with the cinematography is certainly "New Wave" but it still looks fresh all these years later. Melville's screenplay also offers up some terrific dialogue that really puts you in the middle of what's going on to the point where you feel as if you really are watching real professionals getting ready to pull off a heist. What also stands out are the performances with Duchesne who is wonderful in the title role. I really loved the laid back approach to the character and felt Duchesne had so much energy building up inside of him you couldn't help but keep your eyes on him and watch every little thing he did. Daniel Cauchy, Andre Garet and Gerard Buhr add nice support and it was fun seeing Howard Vernon in a small role years before his work with Jess Franco. Then we have Isabelle Corey who in my opinion steals the show. According to the IMDb she was only 16 when this was released but she certainly captures the sexuality of the role very well and she sizzles each time she is on the screen. It's certainly easy to see why these guys would fall all over her. I'm still very new to Melville but this here is certainly an impressive start and I look forward to checking out more of his work.