Customer Reviews

Criterion Collection: Army of Shadows [Blu-ray] [Import]

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Though French director Jean-Pierre Melville is best known for his gangster movies, his masterpiece is this study of French Resistance fighters, which is one of those films so vividly realized that you feel like you're living it instead of watching it. Part prison film, part espionage, part suspense, it's above all a moral work which with utter honesty explores the dilemma that to fight monsters you must become one. No advisories for explicit sex or language, and little overt violence, but definitely not for children. In French with English subtitles. The Criterion DVD transfer is as usual excellent.

I have not seen this movie, but, as far as I can guess, this is about an army composed of shadows. Since shadows have no substance, I don't know what use they would be in a battle, but I have no military experience per se, although I did shoot a man in Reno, just to watch him die, and when I hear that whistle blowin' I hang my head and cry.