I've been on a bit of an Alain Delon spree as of late, and I saw The Black Tulip get mentioned quite a bit alongside 1975's Zorro, which I really enjoyed. It's another movie where Delon gets to take part in some sword fights while being a dashing hero, and though it's not as entertaining or as action-packed as Zorro, it was still pretty decent overall.
The main trump card The Black Tulip has is that it features Delon playing two characters: brothers who swap identities after one of them gets a scar on his face. Alain Delon has pretty good chemistry with himself, even if it would've made more sense had they been twins, because they do look basically identical (even the scar and different hairstyles do little to distinguish them).
It's all straightforward stuff, with villains being thwarted and an underdog hero becoming a revolutionary figure. It's slow-going at some points and the action scenes don't quite have the spark needed to make them really stand out... though none of it's bad exactly. The Black Tulip looks good enough and Delon's fun in the two lead roles. It doesn't really feel like an essential watch or any kind of classic, but it's good enough.
The main trump card The Black Tulip has is that it features Delon playing two characters: brothers who swap identities after one of them gets a scar on his face. Alain Delon has pretty good chemistry with himself, even if it would've made more sense had they been twins, because they do look basically identical (even the scar and different hairstyles do little to distinguish them).
It's all straightforward stuff, with villains being thwarted and an underdog hero becoming a revolutionary figure. It's slow-going at some points and the action scenes don't quite have the spark needed to make them really stand out... though none of it's bad exactly. The Black Tulip looks good enough and Delon's fun in the two lead roles. It doesn't really feel like an essential watch or any kind of classic, but it's good enough.