Farewell, Friend (1968)

Just perfect...

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Alain Delon and Charles Bronson star in "Farewell, Friend" also known as Honor Among Thieves. I believe this film was originally in French, but Delon and Bronson dubbed their own English.The two men are home from the French Foreign Legion in North Africa. Franz Propp (Bronson) is a mercenary and invites Dino (Delon) to join him. Dino says no. Figuring he has something interesting on the horizon, Propp starts following him around, which infuriates Dino. He's supposed to help a woman who was a friend of his buddy replace a huge amount of bonds in a safe over Christmas break. The company she works for is in need of a doctor, which Dino is, and Dino takes the job and sets up a camera to record the numbers of the safe. He then finds out there is $2 million to be left there over Christmas. Unfortunately the camera only shows 3 numbers clearly of the combination.Propp, of course, wants the money and won't leave the premises. The two stay in the basement of this building for the Christmas weekend, with Dino desperate to get rid of Propp most of the time. They take turns trying safe combinations and as time goes on, play tricks on one another. Dino buys all the food in the vending machine and then hides it in a table; later, as they're hiding, guards take the table, thus leaving them both with no food. They lock each other in and out of places. Then their room becomes a sweat box when they are locked in and Propp tries to go through a wall and cuts the air conditioning wires by accident. This gives them an opportunity to remove their shirts so we can see their bodies. Needless to say they both look great. The questions are - can they open the safe, can they get out of the building when it opens on Tuesday, and the big one, can they live until Tuesday?This film, which looked to be an adventure/heist type of thing is actually very funny. Bronson and Delon work beautifully together and have a lot of chemistry. And they do learn they have one thing in common - loyalty.Someone said this film is slow - I didn't find it so. It's a real macho film with charming stars and a lot of humor. And the gorgeous Delon is given many closeups and at one point is in blue pajamas which emphasize his eyes. I enjoyed it.

Two homosexual legionnaires gets together after they're released from the army, and decides to make heist their next profession.Charles Bronson and Alain Delon are a perfect match as the homosexual partner in crime. As Alain himself was allegedly (mind you only allegedly) a homosexual partner with the chairman of the Dassault corporation around or shortly after this film was made.I sometimes wonder if this movie was made with Japanese market in mind. Charles Bronson and Alain Delon were two of the most favorite movie stars of the Japanese around the time this movie was made. Them getting together in an action movie must have been like a dream come true for the Japanese audiences.The acting could have been little bit more vamped up in this movie. It's obvious when you see the two actors throwing punches, it's fake. But their eyes when they're looking at each others rear end looked real.Extremely good performances by two of the best leading man type actors in the world. Despite the nasty professions they've chosen, it's obvious that these two are a really nice guys. If you're a fan of either of these super stars, you wouldn't want to miss this movie.

Utterly tactical, strange (watch for the kinky moment of a drop-dead gorgeous blonde acting as pull-string doll for some rich folks), pointless but undoubtedly compelling late-night feature. This unhinged French production is a stew of perplexedly unfocused ideas and random plot illustrations centred on its very charismatic stars (if somewhat anti-heroes) Alain Delon and Charles Bronson. Really they don't get to do all that much, especially during the confined, lengthy mid-section where they hide themselves in a building during the Christmas break to crack a safe with 10,000 possible combinations. Oh fun! But this is when the odd, if intriguing relationship is formed between Delon and Bronson's characters. After a manipulative battle of wills (and childishly sly games against each other), the two come to an understanding that sees them honour each other's involvement and have a mutual respect. This would go on to play a further part in the twisty second half of the story with that undetectable curve-ball. Still their encounters early on suggest there's more, but what we get is vague and this is magnified by that 'What just happen there?' ending that might just make you jump. YEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! Glad to get that out of the system. The pacing is terribly slow, but placidly measured for it and this seems purposely done to exhaust with its edgy, nervous underlining tension. Watch as the same process is repeated over and over again, and you know something is not quite right and the scheming eventually comes into play. Now everything that does happen feels too spontaneous, but the climax payoff is haunting. The taut, complex script is probably a little too crafty for its own good, but there are some neat novelties (Coins, glass and liquids… try not spilling) and visual symbolisms. Jean Herman's direction is efficiently sophisticated and low-key, but get a tad artificial and infuse an unwelcoming icy atmosphere. The sound FX features more as a potent note, than that of Francois DeRoubaix's funky score that's mainly kept under wrapped after its sizzling opening. Top drawers Delon (who's quite steely) and Bronson (a jovial turn) are solid, and work off each tremendously. Bernard Fresson chalks up the attitude as the Inspector who knows there's more going on than what is being led on. An attractive female cast features able support by Brigitte Fossey and Olga Georges-Picot. A cryptically directionless, but polished crime drama maintained by its two leads and some bizarre inclusions.

A dynamite cast in a slow, not-so-dynamite suspense thriller. It doesn't always make sense and it doesn't quite deliver the goods you might expect, but it does have an unforgettable coins- in-a-full-cup trick, performed twice.