French gangster movie thrills in "Second" turn (Reuters)

Turning to the 1958 Jose Giovanni novel as his source material, the veteran French filmmaker has added a gorgeous dollop of saturated color to the noir palette, in addition to much more dialogue, while still retaining the original's very. deliberate. pace.

The striking cinematography and production design, combined with a masterful lead performance by the always effective Daniel Auteuil, certainly make for potent Cesar Awards bait.

It also stands a good chance of securing American distribution at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it received its world premiere. At a very noticeable 2-1/2 hours, however, it could be a tough sell for those audiences accustomed to bullets flying with greater speed.

Auteuil more than capably fills the late Lino Ventura's shoes as Gustave "Gu" Minda, a career gangster who has busted out of prison, where he was serving a life sentence.

Waiting for him on the outside is the beautiful and determinedly self-possessed Manouche (Monica Bellucci), who wants them to start a new life in Italy. The cash-strapped Gu insists on pulling one last job so that he will be able to provide her with the kind of life to which she's been accustomed.

The job goes without a hitch, which serves to further infuriate the police as embodied by the cagey Inspector Blot (Michel Blanc) and the sadistic Fardiano (Alexander Fauer), who aren't above employing any dirty trick necessary to bring Gu and his gang to justice.

While Corneau's cast, is across-the-board excellent, this is Auteuil's film all the way.

When we first see Gu during that jail break, he looks like a beaten-down, scared rabbit, but beneath that hesitant demeanor there's a lingering intensity lying in wait for the right moment to ignite once again.

A man who lives by a strict moral code when it comes to not ratting on one's colleagues, Gu is the kind of character who would have been right a home in a Greek tragedy.

Startlingly lit and shot (by Yves Angelo), the film's moody atmosphere is further enhanced by Thierry Flamand's pungent period art direction, which wears well under all those errant bullet holes and neatly contained pools of blood.

Completing the effect are costume designer Corinne Jorry's tough-guy suits and composer Bruno Coulais' swirling, insistent score.

Manouche: Monica Bellucci

Alban: Eric Cantona

Venture Ricci: Daniel Duval

Joe Ricci: Gilbert Melki

Fardiano: Alexander Fauer

Screenwriter-director: Alain Corneau; Based on the novel by: Jose Giovanni; Producers: Michele Halberstadt, Laurent Petin; Director of photography: Yves Angelo; Production designer: Thierry Flamand; Music: Bruno Coulais; Costume designer: Corinne Jorry; Editor: Marie-Josephe Yoyotte.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter