☆ ☆ ☆
Any
Number Can Win (1963) – H. Verneuil
It could have been a dream come
true: Jean Gabin has just gotten out of
jail, he’s old and wants one last score to set him up in retirement (in
Australia). He recruits young Alain
Delon to help him rob a casino on the French Riviera. Alas, in the hands of director Henri Verneuil,
the result is plodding, too self-satisfied, and wasteful of its stars. The swinging music tries to add zip but it is
an uphill battle. I’d say with 30
minutes shaved off, just little cuts out of scenes that run too long (or
contain boring and unnecessary exposition) this could have been much better,
although not reaching the heights of Touchez Pas Au Grisbi (the quintessential
aging Gabin flick) or Le Samourai (Delon’s best gangster turn). Still, it looks pretty good in widescreen and
you can’t knock the set up.
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