The Second Wind   Starring: Daniel Auteuil and Monica Bellucci Optimum World RRP: £15.99 OPTD1636 Certificate: 18 Available 14 September 2009

When Gu escapes from prison he is determined to leave his life of crime behind him and settle down with Manouche but the offer of one last job, which would make him rich, is too tempting to ignore, but in gaining the money Gu stands to lose everything else...

The Second Wind (Le Deuxième Souffle (2007 - 2 hr, 29 min, 43 sec) is a gangster film directed by Alain Corneau which is a remake of the Jean-Pierre Melville movie and shares many of its strengths and weaknesses. The film was nominated for four awards. The film was based on the original novel by José Giovanni, whose book Un Reglement de Comptes has been filmed three times.

The film is a bit of a mixture of elements. It starts out as an escape movie, turns into a heist and finally settles into a story of a man trying to clear his good reputation; which accounts for the length of the film, which is even longer than the original. Such a sprawling story may well appeal to fans of films like Once Upon a Time In America (1984).

When Gustave “Gu” Minda (Daniel Auteuil) returns home, having escaped from prison after ten years, he finds that things have changed. Although some of his old comrades are still around, a younger generation has arisen who does not have the same code of ethics as Gu.

Having lost his moral compass, Gu is also being hunted by Inspector Blot (Michel Blanc), who respects Gu, but he has colleagues which are not above using torture and deception to get results, blurring the moral boundaries between the police and the criminals. Freedom is far from the liberating experience for Gu and as the film progresses his options fade away, leading to his semi tragic end. At least in death he is able to prove he wasn’t a rat. His moral code even stops him choosing to settle down with Mamouche (Monica Bellucci).

Although a bit uneven the film has some very effective set pieces, including the initial escape, the heist and the final shootout. Visually the film's cinematography by Yves Angelo is sumptuous, with lots of rich yellows, reds and golds being the primary colour palette, which gives the film a very distinctive look. Only The Godfather (1972) used such a bold palette for a gangster film. Both films have much in common. Both are set in the sixties and fans of The Godfather will find much in this sprawling drama to enjoy.

Daniel Auteuil is a great actor and always a pleasure to watch, what is more impressive is the supporting cast, especially Jacques Dutronc who brings a quiet gentility to his role as the aging mobster Orloff, even Eric Cantona as Alban gives a short but convincing performance.

The movie is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with audio options for French Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 Stereo with optional English subtitles. The only extra on the disc is the original theatrical trailer (2 min, 23 sec).

Overall it’s a nice addition to the gangster genre, however you can’t help feeling that a few judicious cuts would have made for a tighter script.

6

Charles Packer