lcliffor@bbncca.ARPA (Laura Frank Clifford) (01/10/84)
I haven't been this enthused about a film since "Local Hero". "La Balance" is a blend of French and American filmmaking styles which is tight, vivid, and powerful. This movie put me in mind of "The French Connection" and old French gangster films (with a dash of Dirty Harry) - but don't get me wrong, "La Balance" is not a ripoff of anything. It has a style unto itself. "La Balance" is a three-sided story which is basically about the French police out to get a particularly wily mob leader. The French police seem to have a rather ammoral attitude about how they go about things - in particular, their use of informers (the title "La Balance" is translated to "the dimedropper", which is slang for informer). The crime squad are having a particularly hard time getting this mob leader, as one of their informers has been gunned down and the mob has spread rumors that the cops themselves were responsible. Seeing as how informing is an unsavory business at best, this situation puts cooperation at an all time low. Paluzzi, the head of the French crime squad, discovers a former mob member (Dede) who has been banished from the mob's district. It seems Dede's present girlfriend (Nicole, a prostitute played by Nathalie Baye of "The Return of Martin Guerre") had a brief fling with the mob leader which created some bad blood between the two men. Dede and his girl are pulled in and are threatened separately to work with the police. Both eventually agree to cooperate, for the sake of the other, without the other's knowledge. All of the characters in the crime squad are well defined and a few of them even manage to evoke sympathy although they seem to have little regard for the fate of the "good guys", Dede and Nicole. The relationship between Dede and Nicole is beautiful and as tender as one could be between a criminal and a prostitute, while still being believable. The "bad guys" (the mob, although the cops almost fall into this category also) are tough, crazy, and very bad indeed. The acting and direction are first class, the cinematography is crisp, and the soundtrack is terrific and suspenseful. I really loved the character of Dede, a big guy with a bashed in face, a gourmet cook and a true romantic. Go see it!!