Un flic Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Un flic Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 26, 2019

Jean-Pierre Melville's "Un Flic" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new audio commentary by critic Samm Deighan; and archival programs with vintage interviews. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Those unfamiliar with Jean-Pierre Melville’s entire body of work will almost certainly miss that the many episodes of Un Flic do not progress flawlessly and connect cohesively. Some episodes, like the one featuring the bank robbery, look great and ooze the classic thick noir atmosphere that the Frenchman's work became famous for, but elsewhere the balance is off. Too many characters pull in different directions, and the stylish minimalism needed for the crucial noir atmosphere to flourish properly becomes very, very shaky. As a result, the drama begins to overtake the noir atmosphere, and the more obvious it is, the more problematic the film’s personality becomes.

The narrative is broken into two contrasting parts. In the first, a crew of middle-aged robbers raid a seaside bank and successfully get away with the loot. But later they eliminate one of their own because he is bleeding heavily and is therefore a major liability. There are no melodramatic disagreements between the robbers -- his murder is just business. Not long after, the leader of the robbers (Richard Crenna) introduces a new job and convinces them it is worth the risk because it would make them financially independent, and they quietly prepare for it.

The second part follows the new job and a veteran cop (Alain Delon) gradually closing in on the robbers. The cop frequently visits a nightclub owned by the robbers’ leader because it is supposed to be his favorite spot. However, what really attracts him there is the blond beauty (Catherine Deneuve) that his nemesis is in a relationship with. The three do not play any silly games. They all know what is going on, and over time it becomes quite clear that they actually enjoy the transparent three-way engagement. Eventually, the robbers go to work again, but this time several complications disrupt their perfect plan, forcing them to begin improvising.

Melville did not intend for Un Flic to be his final film. (He passed away while working on a new, reportedly very ambitious project). It is unfortunate that it did because it is a misfire with numerous minor flaws and one big flaw that would have been far easier to dismiss early in his career. Here are the two that bother this writer the most:

Delon isn’t the right man to play the cop that goes after the robbers. A nice vintage program included on this release sheds light on the power struggle between Delon and Melville that apparently took place during the film’s production, and its symptoms are very easy to recognize. Indeed, the cop feels like an outsider who frequently inserts himself into dramatic cycles that are foreign to him, and this development leaves the impression that he operates on a completely different wavelength. (Delon’s performance is solid. However, it is not appropriate for this particular film). Was it because Delon and Melville could not get on the same page? Yes. They both had huge egos, and at this point in their careers they were used to getting things done their way, which almost certainly meant that compromising for the sake of uniformity was the last option they would consider. This is what gives the film its rough personality -- it looks like a collection of uneven episodes, and the most problematic are with Delon.

The long train robbery is a genuine dud. It is so poorly done that it almost completely deflates the entire film. Apparently, Melville envisioned the train robbery in its entirety, and its completion and retention in the final version of the film speak volumes about the nature of its production.

Un flic 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, Un Flic arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an old and sadly very weak master. It comes from StudioCanal and it is possible that someone did some digital tweaks on it, but to my eyes it looks like the same master that was used for the North American DVD rerelease of the film in 2008 -- and this master was actually done earlier. So, here's the bad news: It does not matter if you view your discs on a smaller or medium size TV sets, or if you project on a very large screen, because you will notice some major limitations, and the most prominent ones are actually not inherited. What does this mean? It means that the surface of the visuals routinely exhibits a digital edge, which can make them appear either uncharacteristically flat or seriously smeary. (Screencapture #4 demonstrates the issue). Needless to say, depth is often very problematic and in some areas the visuals essentially have the quality of upscaled material. (See screencapture #7). The color scheme introduces good primary values, but there are entire ranges of nuances that should be better. The black smearing that pops up throughout the film, in particular, can be very problematic. Image stability is good. There are no large distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 2.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Un flic Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless audio is solid. It has proper depth and clarity. Overall balance is also very good. I did a few tests with my DVD release of Un Flic and can confirm that dynamic balance and intensity are superior as well. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report.

Un flic Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Un Flic. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (5 min, 480/60i).

• In the Mood for Melville - this vintage documentary examines the cinematic world and style of Jean-Pierre Melville. It uses clips from archival interviews wit the French director, Tsui Hark, Alex Cheung, Kim Jee-woon, and critics Mike Roberts and Arnaud Lanuque, amongst others. In French, Korean, and English, with imposed English subtitles. (58 min, 480/60i).

• Interviews with Jean-Francois Delon and Florence Gabin - in this program, Jean-Francois Delon and Florence Gabin recall their interactions with Jean-Pierre Melville and discuss his working methods and the production of Un Flic. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (26 min, 480/60i).

• Commentary - this audio commentary by critic Samm Deighan was recorded exclusively for Kino Lorber's release of Un Flic.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Bob le Flambeur
  2. Léon Morin, Priest
  3. Le Doulos
  4. Diabolically Yours
  5. Farewell, Friend
  6. The Sicilian Clan

Un flic Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Un Flic has always had a spot in my library, but the more I revisit it, the less I like it. Except for the terrific prologue where Richard Crenna's crew raids the seaside bank, the rest of the film is a mess, and what is really sad is that many of its flaws are so big they are impossible to brush aside. It is just way too easy to tell that when the film was made, Jean-Pierre Melville and Alain Delon were not on the same page. This recent release, produced by Kino Lorber, is sourced from an old and quite problematic master, so my advice is to find a way to rent and test it first before committing to a purchase.