Search

Search only in certain items:

A classic noir from Graham Greene but not his best
While I wouldn't say this was the best of Graham Greene, who is renowned for his noir style crime tales, it was an enjoyable read.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this spy novel about a simple vacuum merchant turned spy for the British government in Cuba. His friend, a German doctor is suspected of being more than he is. There are plenty of assassination plots in this novel on top of escaping dangerous situations involving corrupt cops.

My only gripe is the fact how quickly the salesman was able to grasp being a detective without any training, so it seems a little implausible. Fun, but no Brighton Rock.
  
Leon Morin, Priest (1961)
Leon Morin, Priest (1961)
1961 | Drama, Romance, War
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I suppose given the tenor of this list, Melville is pretty predictable, being that he’s a genius of crime noir, but this film is neither noir nor gangster; it’s about a thoughtful, intelligent, wise, and committed country priest, played by the young Jean-Paul Belmondo (!). Melville has a strong moral code, standards of honor and loyalty, as seen not just in his crime movies, but in the devastating Army of Shadows, his film drawn from his experience in the French Resistance, but I never could have foreseen him making a movie that is basically an argument of morality between a compassionate young stud of an impeccably behaved priest and a wild and magnetic, cynical woman, the riveting Emmanuelle Riva. Also, it made me get Catholicism in a way I never had before, namely the appeal of having as a confessor and advisor someone whose concern is for one’s soul. What could be more moving and fulfilling (and flattering)? It’s way more seductive than a psychiatrist, and it’s almost free."

Source