Powerful

A Major Disappointment

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This film is not for people who take life too seriously, as some reviewers seem to have. yes, there's awful, despicable and unearthly goings on, yes, there is no "American style" moral to this film, no one comes out of this film in a good light. But, entertaining it is, and for a french film of this vintage, that is saying something. If you have seen reservoir dogs, or the godfather films, then you have seen worse violence than here, but this violence is more real, because it doesn't have that american slant of surrealism, with special effects etc. To say the things that happen in this film never happen is fundamentally wrong, they do happen, and as we now approach 2019 they happen with increasing regularity. This film is not false in any way, the eating in the canal house, the drinking of wine, the sex, the scenes of France of that era, all real, and all very believable, and that is where people might find it hard to accept, maybe it was a little too close to their ideas or/and experiences and as such, some might not like this. We found this film very scenic rich, and having visited many of the places this was shot not many years after, we found it very easy on the eyes. There is a certain amount of acting that can be taken either way, but i found much humor on the acting, and laughed quite a few times, i also found some scenes quite awful and would cut them if i had a choice, definitely one scene of the lady from the prison anyway. If you watch this, just remember one thing. It's only a film, and a good one at that

I originally saw this film over 20 years and quite recently I had the misfortune to see it again. What a misogynistic, puerile, lousy excuse for a film it is.Bertrand Blier wasn't an "enfant terrible" when he made this film he was 35 and so these weren't the rape fantasies of some pathetic teen they represent the fully formed world-view of a man approaching middle age. At the time of its release the film was something of a cause celebre and to have criticised it I'm sure would have resulted in a person being criticised for having petite bourgeois and reactionary tendencies. Yet it is this film which is extremely reactionary in its treatment and depiction of women. The story concerns the bullying, cowardice, theft, rape, assault, vandalism and petty crime spree of two aimless low life's played by Gerard Depardieu Patrick Dewaere. The main female character, played by Miou Miou, is subjected to slaps, near drowning and rape and discovers that she can only achieve an orgasm herself after providing some young virgin with an orgasm, as if the true source of woman's pleasure is to please men. From there is gets even more offensive. The great Jean Moreau - what on earth is she doing in this garbage? – plays a character who is depicted as a post menopausal woman, grateful for the sexual gratification provided by the two charmless nit wits and who, because she can "no longer bleed", decides to end her life in a final act of bleeding. An act of cheap shock tactics designed to boost Blier's controversial reputation but in reality an act that says that all post menopausal serve no purpose when they can no longer have babies. After all what else are woman for in Blier's sad little mind other than to have babies or be sexually abused? And whilst we are on the subject of babies, let's not forget the scene where the two "heroes" molest a mother who is breast feeding a baby on a train and obviously her response is to be so grateful to the two idiots for abusing her in this way that she becomes lost in a sexual frenzy. What does Blier offer to explain this behaviour? Well obviously it is all the fault of tedious society as depicted, oh so obviously, by some out of season seaside resort. As for those who claim that the film is funny, well humour is a personal thing and I can find humour in a film like "Man Bites Dog" because of its satirical elements but if you think this is funny then you really must have a very condescending view of the working class and a primitive view of women in general. I did not find this film offensive because I am a prude and I can fully appreciate the power of controversial films like "Salo" or "Irreversible". But this has none of the technical virtuosity of Noe's film or the political charge of Pasolini. This is just old fashioned and woman hating. Throughout his career Blier continued to peddle this sort of idiotic nonsense, his view of a more enlightened approach to depict women was to provide his female characters with similar roles to those provided to the two male leads in this film. Yes Blier thought that equality for women meant that women could behave just as hideously as his male characters. Fortunately with the passing of time Blier's catalogue, basically the mindless drivel of a man who is scared of women, is now being consigned to the trash can of history where it deserves to be placed. Once thought of as a startling new talent with the passage of time Blier can be seen for the minor talent and even smaller intellect that he truly is.

A few reviewers have mentioned the word 'misogynist' in connection with this film. I'd say the makers don't just hate women, but all humankind. It's hard to understand why most of the reviews laud this, but as another reviewer pointed out, it is the kind that attracts those who drag their knuckles when they walk.It's obvious that the creator of this film not only hates but fears women.It is one of the sickest fantasies made, and if that attracts some sickos, let me add that it is not very well made. (Think of a spotty adolescent with an 8mm camera.)Please. Don't. waste. your. time.

I'd give it a ten for atmosphere and performances, but the misogyny of the characters (and, by implication, that of the author, who both wrote the story and filmed it) is too sickening, reaching truly horrifying proportions in the end chosen for Jeanne Moreau's character. Yep, we women should ALL commit suicide at forty, or whenever we stop being able to breed. Yep, there's nothing wrong with us, or the world at large, that a good shag won't cure. I thought growing up female in the eighties/nineties was tough; now I can only be thankful I wasn't around before then. Still, I'd recommend it to intelligent people; unfortunately, this is exactly the sort of movie that attracts most strongly the knuckle-dragging stupid. There's naked breasts (and more) in it, after all!