Le paria

Traumatized by the War of Algeria and by the accidental death of his wife and his son, Manu (Jean Marais) left the right road. His last caper was the attack of the Antwerp-Tangiers Express, carrying a precious cargo of industrial diamonds. But the whole affair was bungled and all of his accomplices got shot. The only survivor of this disaster, Manu now finds refuge in the mountain house of Lucia, the widow of a smuggler who lives alone there with her little boy. In the seclusion of the wilderness, Manu begins to think about life. But his pursuers have not forgotten him: It's only a matter of time before they track him down... "Magnificent locations, action, spectacle and a peculiar calm that is completely at odds with the subject matter dealt with, from which one would actually expect hysteria, nervousness and boundless aggression, combine with many details and other important ingredients to produce a convincing overall result. As expected, the director really turns up the heat in the finale and the scenario is enriched with a storm of bullets and fatal hits, as well as drama and fateful events. In the end, it seems as if the middle section has been deliberately kept calm and expansive in order to present the concentrated tension towards the end. "Le Paria" has a very remarkable effect as a unit and presents itself entirely in the tradition of, above all, French high-end police and gangster films." (Prisma, at: www.italo-cinema.de)