Le Rapace (1968)
Directed by José Giovanni

Film Review

Le Rapace is the second film from screenwriter-turned-director José Giovanni after La Loi du survivant (1967) and easily rates as one of his more inspired films, although it is not without its faults. The film was shot on location in Mexico, and consequently is both visually stunning in some sequences and grimly realistic in others.  Giovanni's inexperience as a director manifests itself in a few places - some of the performances are painfully wooden, some of the camerawork looks needlessly arty and a hideous musical score gives the film the feel of a cheap spaghetti western.

Most off-putting are the film's uneven tempo and the jarring mismatch between the studio and location sequences in the first part of the film.  Where the film is strongest is in its portrayal of the relationship between a cynical killer - played to perfection by the magnificent Lino Ventura (who featured in the director's subsequent Dernier domicile connu (1970) and Le Ruffian (1983), being particularly well-suited to Giovanni's unforgiving, macho world) - and a naïve idealistic revolutionary played by Mexican actor Xavier Marc.

The subtle interplay between the two central characters provides a thoughtful reflection on the morality and politics of assassination, playing to Giovanni's strengths as a writer.  After a lumbering first half, the film suddenly comes to life in its second, and the conclusion is as tense and gripping as in any action thriller of this era, with some masterfully directed shoot out sequences that combine the best of the classic American western with traditional French film noir.

Film Synopsis

In 1938, a hired killer named Le Rital arrives in a South American country to assassinate an unpopular president.  He is billeted with Miguel Juarez, grandson of the previous president, an idealist who is to be credited with the assassination.  Opposite them is a splendid house in which the president's mistress lives in luxury, flaunting her wealth to the oppressed poor who surround her.  After a long wait, during which Le Rital and Miguel develop an uneasy friendship, the president arrives and his execution proceeds as planned.  However, as they make their escape, Le Rital and Miguel soon discover that they have been duped…