Subway (1985)
Directed by Luc Besson

Film Review

Subway was the film that brought international fame and notoriety to French film director Luc Besson, although he had directed one feature before this, the post-apocalyptic fantasy Le Dernier combat (1983). In common with Jean-Jacques Beineix's Diva (1981) and Leos Carax's Mauvais sang (1986), Subway brought a startling modernity to the French thriller in the 1980s, taking the iconography of the classic policier and giving it a massively stylish makeover. Whilst these films were well-received in their day, they now come across as a tad shallow, with very little real substance beneath the surface gloss. Yet even though they are somewhat lacking in plot and character depth, this 'cinéma du look' (to use the term ventured by the critic Raphaël Bassan) is incredibly seductive. Besson's film is particularly striking as it somehow captures the raw essence of classic film noir and intensifies it, making Subway a novel viewing experience that is both liberating and gruelling.

This is a highly pertinent film, dealing with topical themes of exclusion and rebellion. It is about identity, the need that we all feel to rip ourselves free from the chains of conformity so that we may seek out our own path to fulfilment.  This is most apparent in the stories of the main characters Fred and Helena (stylishly played by Christopher Lambert and Isabelle Adjani), but it can also be seen in the increasingly desperate behaviour of the police chiefs who are hunting Fred.  For all its showy exesses and lack of narrative cohesion, Subway is a well-conceived film that deals imaginatively with universal themes.

As happened with many of Luc Besson's subsequent films, Subway was decried by the critics but proved to be hugely popular at the box office.  In the decade that ensued, the director appears to become increasingly influenced by contemporary American cinema, so that whilst his later films Nikita (1990) and Léon (1994) are every bit as visually striking as Subway, they lack its poetry and purity.

Film Synopsis

Helena, the beautiful young wife of a wealthy businessman, invites a stranger Fred to her party.  Fred repays her by stealing compromising documents from her husband's safe, with the aim of blackmailing the couple.  Pursued by police and the henchmen of Helena's ruthless husband, Fred goes on the run, taking refuge in the Paris metro. Here, he meets other social misfits, including a roller-blader the police have been hunting for several months.  Whilst Helena realises that she has fallen in love with Fred and makes every attempt to contact him, Fred occupies himself with forming a band by recruiting buskers.  Meanwhile, the police and Helena's husband are getting closer to their target...