Band of Outsiders

Starring: Anna Karina, Claude Brasseur, Sami Frey, Louisa Colpeyn, Ernest Menzer
Directed by: Jean-Luc Godard
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama, Comedy
1964

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two friends (Claude Brasseur, Sami Frey) recruit a classmate (Anna Karina) to pull off a robbery in her own home.

Review:

Tim: I find Jean-Luc Godard's Band of Outsiders a bit hard to review. It's a classic French New Wave film. It upends much of what we expect from a crime film. It's a good film, and it features two impossibly cool sequences. I enjoyed the movie and I consider it effective, but I feel like the movie as a whole isn't able to maintain the incredible highs of its two best sequences. So, I've likely rated this movie below where many critics would place it. I'm okay with that. A film can be immensely influential and still not technically be a "great" film. So many different elements need to come together in a complimentary way to reach that height. As much as I liked Band of Outsiders, I would never consider this a great film.

I do want to stress that the actors give good performances- Anna Karina pulls your attention to her character in nearly every scene. It's hard to know what to think about her. Do we like her? Despise her? Pity her? It's a complicated performance. Claude Brasseur and Sami Frey are effective, too. They feel a little more one-dimensional, but the contrast between them is intriguing, especially as the movie goes on. We learn a little bit more about them and that might change out thinking of them. I thought this trio- Brasseur, Frey, and Karina work incredibly well together. They were the right people to bring these people to life on screen.

That being said, at the heart of the movie, I never cared deeply about these characters. We meet Arthur and Franz and they aren't the most likeable fellows. They're not especially good people and don't have enough depth to them. They both like a girl in their class, but their relationship is complicated because they are working to enlist her to help them rob a tenant in her family's house of an immense amount of money. Odile, the girl, is impressionable and not exactly deep herself. It felt like much of the movie was watching three callous, swallow people manipulating or bumbling through their relationships, trying to influence each other without being seen doing so. It's not as interesting as it sounds. I wanted to see how the movie would turn out, but I never cared for these characters in the least. The movie deserves some credit for depicting youth accurately, but I'm a bit at a loss of why these three characters would be especially compelling? They seemed doomed from the start. This isn't a crime proposed by people with any intellectual depth. Even with a short film (1 hour, 35 minutes), it takes effort to sit through it). Godard is certainly interested in telling a story that's based in reality, but the focus on realism blunts the entertainment factor, to an extent. It's quiet, slow- purposefully. However, that doesn't always translate into the most compelling viewing experience.

Now, contrast the majority of the film with its two standout sequences. The first, is a timed race through the Louvre- to try and break the record of seeing all the works of art in the shortest time possible. I love this sequence so much. It's such a hilarious upheaval of the whole point of a museum like the Louvre. You're supposed to see the art, to contemplate it, to reflect on what your eyes see. To take all that and turn it into a race, a sport, a dash through, where the art blurs as it flies past your face- it's a perfect example of the folly of youth, at seeing the world through a very different lens, of breaking societal norms. It's memorable, terrific, a beautifully constructed sequence.

And then, there's the Madison dance scene. It's such an incongruent, expected moments. It's brilliant, one of the best sequences ever captured in a movie. I truly believe that. You have these three young people planning a crime and then, in the middle of a restaurant, they hop up and engage in this choreographed dance sequence. The music, the finger snaps, the clapping, the way they repeat the dance steps- it's gorgeous and genius. I love when the music stops, but their movements continue, where we get to peak inside their heads to understand their thoughts, before the music leaps up again and it continues. Or, how slowly, her two companions end their dance, ultimately leaving Odile to dance alone. Godard films this scene brilliantly- the camera is focused on Odile as they move, she's always in the center. I seriously struggle to explain how much I love this scene. It's true genius, an absolute masterpiece. Throughout the entire film, this is the highlight. It makes no real sense, but it's the heart of the film. I know this sequence is legendary, influencing many, including Quentin Tarantino. I get it- it's infectious, watching it and feeling a true sense of awe that a scene like this exists in a movie like this. I may not love the film, but I bow down to Godard for creating this sequence.

The only downside is that the movie never reaches that high again. Sure, the Louvre sequence is great, but the Madison dance is the apex of this film. Nothing else is as beautiful, memorable, or wonderful. So yes, I enjoyed contemplating the conclusion of the story, how these characters' decisions impacted their fate. I love seeing scenes of Paris around them. I like this movie, but taken as a whole, it's not a great film. It's a good movie with two standout sequences. I'm still so thankful I watched this movie. To understand this dance scene especially, is such a gift. I'd highly recommend Band of Outsiders, even though the entirety of the movie leaves a few things to be desired.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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