In fact, Gu's journey echoes that of a character Lino Ventura also played in Classe Tous Risques, that of a criminal on the run returned home to find that his colleagues aren't too eager to help him out. Gu has better luck, but he faces opposition not only from the rival mobster but also from Inspector Blot, whose sneaky techniques make him as much of a lowlife as the thugs he tracks down. In both cases, Ventura was born to play the part, his haunted eyes reflecting years of regrets and worldly wisdom learned from living a true hard knock life.
Casting an introspective eye on the criminal underworld is all well and good, often doing Le Deuxième Souffle a great thematic service. But it's in moving away from overtones and towards building up an actual story that Melville makes the first of numerous missteps. Most of the time, watching the film is like watching him play Pin the Tail on the Donkey — sometimes he's right on the mark, and other times he might as well be in Timbuktu.
The trouble is that Melville's focus is way too inconsistent. He builds up the pivotal heist sequence throughout the film's first half, but once it's over and done with, he just sort of meanders his way through the crime's aftermath. You can almost see him let the camera keep on rolling as he goes off to make a sandwich or something. The film's style and sharp look (which, thanks to the Criterion Collection's restoration, is nothing short of gorgeous) begins to emerge as dressing that barely covers up the bitter taste left by Melville's prolonging of the plot. Aimless scenes abound in the latter two acts, with Melville eventually losing his storytelling finesse and, disappointingly, ending the rather messy affair in an obligatory hail of bullets.
Fans of American film noir should seek out Le Deuxième Souffle, if only to see how the people who helped invent the genre tackle it head-on. The results may not be as all-around as Rififi or Quai des Orfèvres, but Le Deuxième Souffle proves that at least half of a great movie is better than all of a crappy one.
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