Lino Ventura Movies

This suspensful drama finds ten members of the underground uniting fifteen years after the end of World War II. Nine men and a woman come together to expose a traitor among them. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Lino Ventura stars in this French espionager as a secret agent known only as "The Gorilla". While it's never fully explained how our hero earned this simian nickname, it is perfectly clear that The Gorilla is much sought after by the police and the criminal underworld. The cops suspect that the Gorilla is himself a crook, while the bad guys simply want to remove him from the face of the Earth. The main plot involves stolen plans for a new guided missile; in trying to retrieve these plans, the Gorilla runs afoul of counterfeiters and drug dealers, in addition to his usual enemies. Le Gorille vous Salue Bien (The Gorilla Greets You) was the first in a profitable series of spy flicks starring Lino Ventura as the title character. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Best known for his 1978, award-winning La Cage aux Folles, director Edouard Molinaro turns to suspense in this routine psychological drama about a man (Lino Ventura) whose psyche changes into that of a serial killer. The man has been traumatized by the murder of his wife and decides to seek justice himself. So he goes out and kills his wife's assassin (her former lover), but his foul deed is witnessed by a taxi driver. Intent on never being prosecuted for his crime, he then goes after the taxi driver -- and a string of killings is set in motion. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Lino Ventura is typecast again in this routine suspense story, this time as Pascal, a tough-minded, caustic, basically unsympathetic newspaper vendor. Pascal is caught up in the action when a man tries to drown himself, and without realizing it he soon becomes a pawn in a plot that the failed suicide is hatching. Fate lurks in the background as a murder is committed and Pascal tries to get himself out of more than one predicament. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

This well-acted-though routine wartime drama is the second such film in a row for young Jean Claude Brialy, who plays a member of one of two families who are experiencing the effects of the German Occupation. In general, both morals and morale have declined in the families so that a lonely married woman whose husband is in a prison camp is willing to have an affair with a 17-year-old youth. But beyond that indiscretion, her need for money in a tight economy drives her to get the young man involved in the lucrative black market. Meanwhile, the father of the indiscreet youth finds out what his son is doing and although he has been an ineffectual parent, he tries to lay down the law to his son. Unfortunately, the law at this time seems to be on vacation. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The "mambo craze"of the late 1950s was hardly confined to the Western hemisphere, as proven by the French adventure flick Ces Dames Preferent le Mambo. In truth, there's not much singing or dancing in this Eddie Constantine vehicle. Instead, two-fisted Eddie gets involved with a treasure hunt in the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way, he smashes a narcotics ring, which wins him a reinstatement in the U.S. Navy. And of course, Constantine enjoys the attentions of a bevy of beautiful ladies (Veronique Zuber, Lise Bourdrin et. al.) wearing very little indeed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The French-made Inspector Maigret offers one of the best-ever Maigrets in the form of veteran tough guy Jean Gabin, who played the character three times throughout the 1950s. In Maigret Sets a Trap, the inspector tackles the case of a psychopathic serial killer. The female victims have all been stripped and stabbed but none of the women was raped. Putting two and two together, Maigret determines that the killer was motivated by rage and frustration rather than sex. Maigret Sets a Trap avoids sensationalism in favor of slow-building suspense. Originally released in the U.S. as Inspector Maigret, the movie was retitled Woman-Bait. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

L'Etrange Monsieur Steve (The Strange Mr. Stevens) features Armand Mestral as the title character. It is bank robber Mr. Steve (or Stevens) who introduces mild-mannered bank clerk Georges (Philippe Lemaire) to the criminal viewpoint. Fascinated by Mr. Steve's dangerous lifestyle, Georges vicariously lives his own life through the crook's activities. As a result, he leaves himself wide open for the tragedy that follows. Jeanne Moreau offers the film's best performance as a gun moll who temporarily casts a spell over the susceptible Georges. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This strangely-christened French film noir was released in the U.S. as Grisbi. Jean Gabin stars as a racketeer known by the Runyonesque nickname of Max the Liar. Seeking out the finer things in life, Max intends to pull one last job and retire. After stealing a fortune in gold, our "hero" is faced with a crisis of conscience when his best friend (René Dary) is kidnapped and held for a huge ransom. Somehow Max manages to turn the tables on the abductors, but his dreams of a life of ease explode in his face. Up-and-coming leading lady Jeanne Moreau plays a pivotal role as the femme fatale who leads Dary into the hands of his kidnappers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide