Customer Reviews

Borsalino and Co.

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A great movie - real action - captures the period - authentic - unlike Hollywood plastic products. Best with French dialogue - English subs.
Importatn to remember it's the follow on from Borsalino - essential to see that first.

Delon finds himself on the losing side of a gang war in 30s Marseilles. But don't worry -- the crease in his slicked back hair won't stay mussed for long. Lavish period crime saga moves at a very fast clip and while some of the action gets pretty brutal, it's almost irresistibly entertaining. (I had no idea this was the sequel to the earlier picture with Belmondo -- though the first shot should have clued me in. For me it worked as a standalone, though I'm now anxious to see the first.)

I gave this film three stars because I can't send in the critique otherwise. Mainly this is a warning that, from its amazon link, one might get the wrong impression that this is the same film as BORSALINO when it's actually a sequel. Maltin gives BORSALINO a high rating, but doesn't review this movie.

Video version - for whatever reason, I try to turn on the subtitles but movie reverts back to the beginning...sad, movie appeared to be good, good money spent on bad final product

Borsalino and Co. begins with the funeral of Jean-Paul Belmondo's character from the first film, leaving Alain Delon to hold the fort almost single-handed, and the results aren't as entertaining as they could be as he swears revenge and finds himself on the losing side of a gang war with a gang of Italian fascists looking to destabilise the country through crime and drugs, with Marseilles a natural starting point. The choice of villains are interesting, as are their weapons of choice - they prefer to kill underlings and employees (even blowing up a bad music hall comic in the middle of his act: a bit redundant considering he was clearly dying long before the bomb went off) while publicly humiliating their bosses - but the film never really rises above the average. There's plenty of stylish décor and sharp suits, a couple of decent shootouts but not much fun (it's an hour before Claude Bolling's famous theme from the first film is heard), so it's no surprise that the US-set sequel promised by the end title never materialised.

The poor standards conversion transfer on Kino's region 1 DVD doesn't help matters either. Extras are stills gallery, original theatrical trailer, and trailers for The Sicilian Clan, Flic Story, Two Men in Town, Mort d'un Pourri, Trois Hommes a Abbatre, Pour la Peau d'un Flic, Le Battant, Parole de Flic and Ne Reveilles pas un Flic Qui Dort.