Jean-Pierre Melville
1962
108 minutes
Okay, so this is going to be good. You're getting Jean-Pierre Melville as a director and Jean-Paul Belmondo in the starring role. Le Doulos basically translates to "the police informant" and also a kind of hat, which is explained at the beginning of the film. There's a bit of a complicated plot and some double-crosses and at times you won't be sure what is going on or why people are acting certain ways, so pay attention and be ready to pause and look things up if you get confused.
I will emphasize that you should pause the film to look things up if you get confused. You don't want to miss actually watching this, because there are a lot of beautiful shots in it.
This film starts out with an absolutely gorgeous three minute tracking shot of one of the characters walking down a pedestrian pathway while the credits roll. It is beautiful, and it's going to remind you that moments like this, even throwaway ones, are the reason we watch films. As soon as you finish watching the credits, you're going to want to go watch the credits of Jackie Brown as well, just to remind yourself that movie credits don't have to just be a mindless contractually obligated snooze-fest at the beginning or end of the film. They can be a beautiful and nearly un-skippable part of establishing the tone in their own right. Jackie Brown is coming up in Section 159, by the way. Feel free to peek ahead there now or revisit as the case may be, if you must.
Don't be the asshole who walks into this film late and interrupts the credits for everyone as you make people stand up so you can get a seat in the middle.
Similarly, don't be the asshole who is the first one to stand up and start putting your coat on once you see Denis Lavant's name pop up in the credits at the end of Beau Travail while there is still more dancing to be enjoyed. Not all credits are worth sitting through or paying attention to, but when the director spent time on them you should take a moment to enjoy them.
Time to choose something different: