User reviews

Director Jean-Pierre Melville told his biographer that his plan was to reunite France's two greatest stars of the 1960-70s, Delon and Belmondo, in LE CERCLE ROUGE, but Belmondo thought his part meager by comparison with Delon's, rejected it, Gian Maria Volonté replaced him, and so BORSALINO, directed by Jacques Deray, remains the only film in which Delon and Belmodo appeared together.

Melville was an infinitely better director than the mediocre Deray. I doubt that a period film (1930s) like BORSALINO would interest Melville, but in the hands of the latter I am certain that BORSALINO would be far grittier, realistic, and less tailored for Delon.

Make no mistake, I rate Delon a better actor than Belmondo but, as the film's producer, it is obvious that he had decisionmaking powers that Belmondo did not, and you sense how strenuous the rapport must have been between the two men, with Belmondo feeling belittled and duped, and with Delon getting extensive "look good" shots throughout.

Despite being the better actor, Delon is too wooden in this film. He always looks stiff as he tries to display his famous physical attributes. In turn, Belmondo just looks like he is honoring the contract and can't wait for the shooting to be over. According to reports, Delon and Belmondo hardly talked to each other during production, and never again after shooting was over.

Even the usually reliable Bouquet looks pedestrian in this production, and the female lead, Rouvel, is a near non-entity. She starts as the love object both men want, then seems to go with Delon, but finally stays with Belmondo, and one can see that she looks lost. Her part is small and adds zero to the film.

Cinematography is careless. Stunts are poor. The fight between the two men at their first encounter would have suited a Bud Spencer-Terence Hill vehicle, but actors like D&B are wasted here.

The meandering script is very glib, keep skipping over details, and there's far too much padding. 30 minutes could have been removed and the film might even be better for it.

Borsalino tells the rise and fall of two small-time crooks in 1930 Marseille. Their rivalry soon becomes a strong friendship, allowing them to reach a place in the sun among other gangsters, even threatening the truce between the two ruthless families that control the city.

Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon shine in this enjoyable recreation of the ever-corrupted French city. The sets and costumes are terrific, and the music by Claude Bolling became an instant classic. So classic in fact that the director Jacques Deray over-uses it in some parts. The secondary characters are interesting somewhat but clearly overshadowed by the two leads. As for the script, it manages many enjoyable moments wandering between funny and tragic bits, however it is too hammy to totally convince and is not helped by a very dated type of editing. I don't know if it was to mimic the style of older gangster movies, but the movie should've been tighter on that point.

All in all, a very decent French movie. Far from flawless, but recommended.

Jacques Deray, who directed gangster genre movies almost exclusively, has achieved his most popular success (in America) with this movie. It was a stroke to combine the two leading men in roles which were cut out for each of them. Credit for this must go (in part, at least) to Alain Delon, who produced the movie. The very catchy, and hummable music for this movie was by the prolific composer, Claude Bolling, who collaborated with Deray on other films.

My only carping criticism is the length of the movie. I feel that about 15 minutes could have been trimmed in order to keep it moving.

For some reason my little local library in Minnesota has this movie. Its about a pair of small-time criminals in 1930s Marsielles, France who rise to be gangster bosses. The movie looks pretty good, with nice period clothes, cars and decor, and the guys look the part in their 30's gangster suits (especially the dark-haired guy). And Lola the girlfriend is pretty hot. And there's some decent tommy-gun violence. But the characters seem cardboard and undeveloped, and the dialog is not very interesting (maybe something was lost in the dubbing). I sensed they were trying to imitate an old-style Hollywood gangster movie a la Cagney; was 30's France really this much like Capone's Chicago? So, although I am a big fan of old gangster movies, I wouldn't rate this one too highly.

This may not be the best of Jacques Deray's nine collaborations with Alain Delon but it is certainly the most commercially successful. Delon maintained that Deray was the director with whom he had the greatest affinity which is praise indeed considering his sterling work for such luminaries as Visconti, Melville, Verneuil and Clément!

Based upon Scammano's novel 'Bandits at Marseilles' about real life gangsters Carbone and Spirito whose names have naturally been changed, this is essentially a vehicle for Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo who are both at the height of their popularity and in their physical prime. The pairing proved to be a masterstroke as both actors possess charisma in spades whilst Delon's measured coolness is balanced by Belmondo's easy-going amiability.

Set in 1930's Marseilles this has excellent period detail, a catchy if somewhat repetitious theme by Claude Bolling, female interest in the shape of elegant Francoise Christophe, mysterious Corinne Marchand and delectable Catherine Rouvel and as a bonus we have the always good value Michel Bouquet as a shady lawyer.

Plenty of mucho-macho posturing of course and corpses galore with a shootout set in an abattoir that will have assorted veggies and vegans foaming at the mouth. The imaginative ways in which various low-lifes are bumped off anticipate 'The Godfather' although Deray's film lacks the psychological depth of Coppola's masterpiece. Deray was also said to be influenced by Melville but lacks that director's Existentialist feel. What is certain is that Deray made his mark in the thriller genre which he considered to be 'spectacle of the higher order.'

Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon are a couple of small-time hoods in Marseille in the 1930s. They meet in a fistfight over a prostitute and wind up buddies. Gradually they rise in the ranks of the underworld, not through any particular ambition, but because other gangsters keep trying to kill them.

The first half of the movie is pure buddy comedy, sustained by a player-piano-style score. In the second half, it becomes generally darker, but the comedy still comes out in spurts. It's based on two real men, Paul Carbone and Paul Spiritu, whose *ahem* career paths were pretty much the same. Delon shows he can handle a lighter role, and Belmondo wears a sarcastic smile on his face when dealing with the legal authorities. With Catherine Rouvel and Michel Bouquet.

I watched this movie for the first time when i was 15 and continue watching it today,this movie is timeless, i was already familiar with Alain Delon and most of the works by Jean-Paul Belmondo,the two actors are phenomenal by themselves and were electrifying together in this movie.I find no fault in this representation of french mobsters in the 30's, and further feel that this movies should have received similar praise to movies such as our more recent "the Godfather".The movie starts off in a french Bistro with François Capella(Belmondo)shooting pool, and a lady sitting at the bar, Roch Siffredi(Delon)storms in and request the lady(Lola) to leave with him, and this results in a fist fight between Capella and Siffredi, and the movie catapults from their first meeting.The movie is well shot even by todays standards, the story is quite complete and will not leave questioning much once it is over. if you can get hold of it, it is definitely worth watching.

In 1930, Marseille is divided by two crime bosses, Poli (André Bollet) and Marello (Arnoldo Foà), that respect each other. When the small-time thief Roch Siffredi (Alain Delon) is released after four months in prison, he looks for his mistress Lola (Catherine Rouvel) and finds her with the gangster François Capella (Jean-Paul Belmondo) in a bar. Roch and François fight each other over her but soon they become best friends. They are contact by the lawyer of Poli and Marello, Rinaldi, to steal a horse for Poli first and then to take the fish market from Marello, in the beginning of their rise in the unstoppable criminal career.

"Borsalino" is a French-Italian gangster movie from 1970 directed by Jacques Deray with the story based on two notorious French gangsters. The plot is entertaining and even funny in some moments, with great chemistry between the characters played by Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon. In real life, however, there was many disputes and jealousy from them to each other. The music score is also great. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil); "Borsalino"

"Borsalino" is one of the all-time fun French gangster films. I saw it in a cinema in Paris when I studied there eons ago, but just try to find the DVD or videotape! I guess they're trying to increase its rarity value by foisting a much inferior film, Borsalino & Company, on Delon and Belmondo fans. Well, this is the genuine article, more Marseille than the real city, perhaps 70 years or so ago, so just enjoy the great dialogue and scenarios IF YOU EVER MANAGE TO GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS TAPE OR (BETTER) DVD, NOT DUBBED but with subtitles s'il vous plaît. The soundtrack by Claude Bolling (sporadically available on CD) is the perfect accompaniment, and the combination of the French cinema's two most popular young actors made this an all time favorite in France. In the final analysis, style certainly triumphs over substance, and you'll never forget you are seeing Delon and Belmondo. This film has stuck in my mind all these years, and I think you'll be just as impressed as I was... bonne chance!

Borsalino is a visually striking crime film, capturing the atmosphere of 1930s Marseille with great attention to detail. Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo bring undeniable charisma to their roles, making the film enjoyable despite its narrative flaws.

However, the story is often difficult to follow, with a somewhat disjointed plot that struggles to maintain momentum. While the film succeeds in style and performances, it lacks the gripping storytelling that would make it truly great. A solid film for fans of classic gangster movies, but not the best in the genre. Interestingly, the second film in the series improves on nearly every aspect, making it a far more compelling watch.

Very good movie. I watched the original French version without English subtitles and although I struggled a bit with the language it was easy to follow even though my French is not fluent. What really surprised me is that the ratings for Borsalino so far have not been higher - as far as French gangster movies go I would consider it within my top 5. It is pacey with lots of action and unlike some French movies,I was never bored once watching it. The combination of Jean Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon as Capella and Siffredi worked very well and Michel Bouquet's performance as Rinaldi was also very good. My only criticism of Borasalino was that there were too many female characters linked with Capella and Siffredi and we never really learnt more about them as the story progressed. Otherwise a movie I would recommend.

When a movie pairs Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo, casting them as initially small-time crooks who work their way up the underworld ladder in 30's France, I think we have a right to expect something better than this. Pedestrian direction and a script that manages to be both dull and rushed make for a pretty unexciting movie. The stars are as charismatic as ever, but that isn't enough. (**)

in a 1920-30 era Marseille, 2 crooks fighting over the same woman will become partners to take control of the city's organized crime. Excellent acting from both Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon who ever since, stayed on top of the charts. Great soundtrack too!

I liked this film and became a Belmondo and Delon fan because of it. The story fosters traditional friendship values : Loyalty , affection , and it underwrites pursuit of dreams.

All production values are a little over dramatic , which worked for me given the slightly hammy machismo of the stars. These guys looked like they really are friends off-screen and maybe had a lot of fun making the film. They are a couple of real characters and it shows through. They're better at playing themselves than at acting

Interesting sepia stills for credit backgrounds which predate Butch Cassidy's use of them as nostalgia evocation.

Somewhat typical of foreign films of the period , the continuity was sometimes uneven . But that wasn't particularly disruptive because of the un-complex story line.

We located this 1970 Film BORSALINO, English Version with No Subtitles in a small video store in French Canada.......It is not easy to find anymore and most of the old ex-rentals have been tampered with...........Borsalino features Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo as charismatic gangsters in 1930s Marseilles who join forces when they meet brawling over a woman.. with fixed horse races and fights, they start to find themselves doing jobs for the local gangster bosses. When they decide to go into the business for themselves, their easy-going approach to crime starts to change........Inspired by Eugene Saccomano's novel The Bandits of Marseilles. ...The version we have is 2 Hours 5 Minutes long and is the most complete we have been able to find....We have never been able to locate a French Version in 9 years of looking........BQA Films

At that time,Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon who had been top of status as an actor in France. They seemed to enjoy performing light touch gang star movie. Jean Paul and Alain argued who's name should be up or down. I thought it doesn't matter for them. About 28 later they co-worked with "Half A Chance(1998)",they fight fighting over the same woman and became partner...it reminded me of this movie. Also fashion coordinate and soundtrack were great.

Late 1920ies and the 1930ies were apparently the years when gallantry and stylishness saw their peak: war wounds were mostly healed, people acquired wealth, aristocracy and bourgeoisie were able to spend on entertainment and diversity again. Such was the background in the 1930 Marseille, where two small-time crooks join forces after an odd meeting, begin with fixed horse races and fights, and the continue in doing jobs for local top gangsters.

Viewers can see several fine places, with wealthy people wearing stylish clothes, enjoying a good music/games/food, sometimes disrupted by shootings, chases and fights, mostly related to the two leading characters - François Capella and Roch Siffredi, splendidly performed by famous character actors Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon, respectively. Their talent and elegance is visible throughout the film, outperforming all their co-actors, and the French language is a booster of the atmosphere (U.S. gangster films are usually gloomier and rougher).

Borsalino is a fine example of French action movies made in the 1960- 70ies; luckily, it is a colour film and shows fully the talents of Belmondo and Delon. I try to watch its sequel as soon as possible.

At release time Jean Paul Belmondo wasn't so happy with the picture, due he wasn't accepted by others producers as partner, second he realizes that his name at promotional advertisements were three centimeters shorter than the star and producer Alain Delon, it quite sure left him upset, when I did watch it for the first time in 1986 I had found it overdone.

However overtime it became appetizing, the story takes place at Marseilles on the thirties, where two low class gangsters meet nearly randomly for a girl Lola (Catherine Rouvel), Roch Siffredi (Alain Delon) after leaves the jail looking for his lover and find her in companion of François Capella (Jean Paul Belmondo), they fight for the girl, there no winner, the clash ends up tied, afterwards they made a profitable partnership and growing faster to high circle of Marseille's underground.

The duo lays down a high pattern lifestyle working for a Boss Poli thru the fancy lawyer Rinaldi (Michel Bouquet), everything seem going well, nevertheless for the greedy Roch it isn't enough, although Capella has a logical thinking in not takes the plunge, almost dragged by Roch then Capella goes along, they must face the two powerful gangsters Poli (André Bollet) and Morello (Arnoldo Foà) that split the city for themselves, while I've watching the picture I'd tried figure out why Borsalino means.

Searching today it's about the kind of hat that they used at its time, the producers displayed a well portrayed Marseilles on thirties, well-dressed gorgeous women, crowded by prostitutes on those narrow streets, where the fishing activities was the main attractive, a movie to be seen and revisited!!

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 1986 / How many: 4 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 8.25.

Half a century after the premiere, 'Borsalino' directed by Jacques Deray has all the features, charm and humor of French films of the 1970s and at the same time is alert, modern and has a good chance that if relaunched today it would be an entertainment that can be appreciated by the contemporary public. Much of the merit is due to the two protagonists and great stars who were and are Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo. However, 'Borsalino' has many other qualities and motives that help it successfully passing the test of time, being an excellent combination of a period mob movie with action comedy, with a French flavor and a well-distilled American influence. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for quality escapism these days.

It is one of those films in which the main characters are mobsters but which I could not characterize as 'film noir'. The reason is that the atmosphere is far from dark, and the approach is humorist and relaxed. We can discuss the morality of the so attractive portrayal of the mob characters that dominated the life of the Mediterranean port in the 1930s, but it's hard not to fall under the spell of the two main characters, or of the colorful descriptions of the 'milieu' - bars, streets, markets, houses of the new and older riches. 'Borsalino' is obviously influenced by the most successful American films of the time - 'Bonnie and Clyde', 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' - but I think it also influenced the American films that came after him. Martin Scorsese, I believe, saw it more than once.

The screen presences of Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo are directed, choreographed and filmed carefully and balanced so that none of the great stars shadows the other. The opening scene and the final of the movie are anthological. The cast is well chosen and the interpretation of the entire team of actors is remarkable. In addition to the famous protagonists in the main roles, I would also mention the presence of Michel Bouquet, an actor specialized in secondary roles of corrupt politicians and lawyers. Absolutely remarkable is the soundtrack that accompanies the action and the music of Claude Bolling, taking us from the French cancan, going through chansons of that times, and until the jazz of the 20 'and 30'. 'Borsalino' was 50 years ago and is still today a true delight.

The dream of any French - and maybe not only - movie buff, especially those who crave for the magic sixties and seventies. Imagine Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo - the two greatest rivals of the French movie industry - together. Those two Jean-Pierre Melville's most iconic stars - besides Lino Ventura - who should have been together for LE CERCLE ROUGE because Belmondo was supposed to play the Gian Maria Volonte's character; which I would have prefered. This Jacques Deray's film is flawless, but the intention is obviously too gross maker for my taste. This is one of the most famous French crime film, gangster yarn, a myth of the French cinema, precisely because of the cast and especially the terrific music score.

The spirited approach to movie making as displaying sequencing towards specific portraying into a lifestyle in cinematic depiction. The movie is a measuring stick towards many movies can become observed from namely following in 1972 and later in 1995. The movie provides more than ample violence from this depiction of lifestyle in which the approach to add as much as possible into a movie resonates frequently. The movie in acting is done overall towards in viewing observance as setting a standard into providing the spirited atmosphere in consistency throughout the film duration. The music chosen reflects this spirited atmosphere where the lifestyle in depiction provides the viewer with a full scope of cinematic entertainment without any semblance of reality into the equation.