Having cut his teeth on 'Le dos au mur' and 'Les femmes disparaissent', both of which are 'interesting', Edouard Molinaro impresses with this excellent revenge thriller adapted from the novel of the splendid duo Boileau and Narcejac.
Oodles of atmospheric night scenes here and who better to create them than cinematographer Henri Decae. Molinaro has also enlisted as composer the tenor saxophonist Barney Wilens who collaborated with Miles Davis on 'l'ascenseur pour l'echaffaud'. The editing by Robert and Monique Isnardon is especially effective.
This also marks the first major role for Lino Ventura who had been steadily climbing the ranks since being discovered by Jacques Becker. Apparently he was offered the choice of playing the assassin or the taxi-driving witness and his decision to play the former proved to be an astute career move. He is simply superlative in the role of a man who exacts revenge for the murder of his wife but thereby embarks on a course from which there is no return. The hunter becomes the hunted and Ventura succeeds in evincing our sympathy.
The part of the witness went to Franco Fabrizzi and that of his girlfriend to the always appealing Sandra Milo. Other performances to note are those of Robert Dalban and Micheline Luccione.
The milieu, routine and camaraderie of the taxi drivers are wonderfully depicted and the final chase sequence is thrilling.
The history of cinema is littered with films whose promise on paper failed to be realised on screen but here everything gels to produce a tense and gripping piece which is an absolute must for devotees of Film Noir.
Review of Witness in the City
