Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Le Gang Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 19, 2014

Jacques Deray's "Le Gang" a.k.a. "The Gang" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe. The supplemental features on the disc include the documentary film "Le Gang: Variations sur un meme theme" and a restore French trailer for the film. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Alain Delon

The film begins with the end. A beautiful girl named Marinette (Nicole Calfan, Pierre Etaix's Le Grand Amour) is escorted by a middle-aged man to a secluded house somewhere in the French countryside to see the handsome gangster Robert (Alain Delon, The Sicilian Clan). He has been shot and his face looks pale. The girl gently kisses Robert and holds his hand, but he does not recognize her.

A series of flashbacks reveal how years ago Marinette met Robert in a lousy bar and the two fell in love. Robert is then seen discussing a big job with his boys -- Jo (Xavier Depraz A Pain in the Ass), Raymond (Roland Bertin, The Hairdresser's Husband), Manu (Adalberto Maria Merli, Indian Summer), and Lucien “The Mammoth” (Maurice Barrier, The Gypsy) -- in his good friend Cornelius’ (Raymond Bussieres, Casque d'Or) secluded house.

Longer flashbacks now show the gang robbing banks. After each job Robert and his boys gather in Cornelius’ home and celebrate with their wives and mistresses. Early retirement is frequently mentioned, but Robert does not want to hear about it. Deep inside he feels that there is so much more that the gang can accomplish.

Eventually, for the first time things do not go as planned and Robert is accidentally arrested with a group of undocumented foreigners, most of them Arabs. In the local police department he goes berserk, steals a machine gun and then threatens to kill everyone. Before he escapes, he makes sure that no one will ever again mistake him for an Arab.

Soon after, the gang is cornered in Cornelius’ home. There are hundreds of cops and soldiers, but Robert comes up with a brilliant plan that allows his boys to escape. Convinced that their latest experience is a clear sign that they are running out of luck, Robert and his boys decide to do one more job and then call it quits.

Jacques Deray’s Le Gang is loosely based on a story by French detective Roger Borniche, who studied the activities of the notorious Gang des Tractions-Avant in and around the Pigalle quarter in Paris immediately after WW2. One of the gang’s members was the legendary Pierre Loutrel a.k.a. Pierrot le Fou, who in the early '40s was declared France’s "public enemy number one".

Deray does a good job in recreating the period atmosphere in which Gang des Tractions-Avant existed, but Robert and his boys rarely look as fearless and dangerous as the real gangsters were. The members of Gang des Tractions-Avant were former resistance fighters and men with long records who absolutely dominated the Pigalle quarter and did some remarkably bold jobs that later on inspired other French gangsters to imitate their style.

A good portion of Le Gang is also dedicated to Robert and Marinette’s relationship. However, rather surprisingly the passion between them feels quite weak. Later in the film, Robert even intentionally avoids Marinette when everyone gathers in Cornelius’ home.

Le Gang was lensed by Italian cinematographer Silvano Ippoliti, who is best known for his contributions to Sergio Corbucci’s unusually violent western The Great Silence and Tinto Brass’ controversial period film Caligula.

Note: Writer-director Jean-Marc Vincent is working on a brand new film about Loutrel and his gang. Pierrot le fou is expected to open in French cinemas in 2016.

Le Gang Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jacques Deray's Le Gang arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe.

Recently restored in 2K, Le Gang looks quite good in high-definition. Indeed, in terms of clarity and depth the improvements are quite dramatic, especially during the daylight footage. Virtually all of the close-ups boast outstanding depth, while the larger panoramic shots convey excellent fluidity. Contrast levels remain stable throughout the entire film. Colors are lush and stable, though my feeling is that they should be slightly warmer. However, this is a period film and it is quite obvious that it favors a wider range of colder colors. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. However, some light sharpening adjustments have been applied. Nevertheless, the film does have a good organic appearance. Finally, overall image stability is outstanding. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Le Gang Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Also included is a French Descriptive Audio DTS 2.0 track. For the record, Pathe have provided optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The lossless track is outstanding. The sound is well rounded, crisp, and completely free of background hiss. Overall dynamic intensity is somewhat limited, but during the shootouts separation and balance are terrific. Carlo Rustichelli's music easily makes its presence felt. The dialog is always crisp, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. Also, there are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.

Le Gang Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Film annonce - restored original French trailer for Le Gang. In French, not subtitled (3, 1080p).

• Le Gang: Variations sur un meme theme - this documentary feature focuses on the production history of Le Gang. Included in it are clips from archival interviews with director Jacques Deray and Alain Delon, as well as new interviews with writer Olivier Rajcheman, the French director's widow, Agnes Vincent-Deray, film editor Henri Lanoe, and first assistant director Thierry Chabert, amongst others. In French, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080p).

Le Gang Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Le Gang should appeal primarily to those who are already familiar with Jacques Deray's work and like his style as well as those who would see anything with Alain Delon. I personally enjoy Deray's period gangster films quite a lot. The likes of Rififi in Tokyo, The Outside Man, Borsalino, and Flic Story are perfect to see late at night. Like Le Gang, they don't break any new boundaries, but have an attitude that makes them rather special. RECOMMENDED.