Bob the Gambler
| Bob le flambeur | |
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| Directed by | Jean-Pierre Melville |
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| Screenplay by | Jean-Pierre Melville |
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| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Henri Decaë |
| Edited by | Monique Bonnot |
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Running time
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102 minutes |
| Country | France |
Bob le flambeur ("Bob the Gambler" or "Bob the High Roller") is a 1956 French gangster film directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. The film stars Roger Duchesne as Bob. It is often considered a film noir and precursor to the French New Wave because of its use of handheld camera and a single jump cut.
Bob, a former bank robber and convict who has gone straight for 20 years, lives on his own as a gambler in the Montmartre district of Paris. He is well liked by the demi-monde community there, but has hit a run of bad luck and is nearly broke. Ever the gentleman, he lets an attractive young drifter called Anne stay in his flat in order to keep her from the attentions of Marc, a pimp he hates, and encourages his young protégé Paolo to become involved with her. Marc is arrested for beating up a whore, but is released on condition he becomes an informer. Ledru, the police inspector who does this, owes an unrepayable debt of gratitude to Bob, who once saved his life.
Through an ex-con who is now a croupier in the casino at Deauville, Bob and his safecracker friend Roger learn that by 5.00 in the morning at the height of the season the casino safe can hold 800 million in cash. Forming a plan to lift it, they find a backer to finance their preparations and recruit a team of professional criminals. The croupier gets them detailed floor plans, together with the specification of the safe. Paid in cash for this valuable information, he uses some of it to buy jewellery for his avaricious wife.
In bed with Anne, the immature Paolo brags about the upcoming raid, news which she passes on to Marc, who tips off Ledru that he has valuable info to share. When Anne confesses what she has done, Paolo shoots Marc dead before he can get to Ledru. Meanwhile, the croupier's wife has wormed out the secret of her husband's new riches and decides to blackmail Bob but, unable to find him, tells the police. Ledru finds it hard to believe, as he thinks Bob is truly reformed, and after checking with the casino mounts a fruitless search for Bob, who is already on his way to Deauville. Ledru follows with a convoy of armed police.
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Wikipedia