Quite a bit of Bob le flambeur (Bob the High-Roller) contains a blend of elements you've probably seen from many other gambling and heist films. A gambler and ex-con (Roger Duchesne) is on a losing streak, and hits upon an idea to score big by robbing a casino safe. He assembles his crew and plans out the mission, but the police, one of whom is a friend, aren't far behind. Despite what seems like familiar territory, the film is elevated considerably by the location footage in the Montmarte and the style that Jean-Pierre Melville and his cinematographer Henri Decaë give the film.
On the downside, despite young Isabelle Corey's charms, the female characters aren't portrayed in all that positive a light, and the film is a tad methodical in its pace, showing things like the use of a stethoscope and audio equipment in safe cracking that are old hat all these years later. The real-life story of Duchesne, a heavy gambler and ex-con in the Montmarte (and regrettably also a Nazi collaborator) is a fascinating, but rather problematic parallel as well. He has a certain presence here, but displayed little range in his performance.
As with all heist films, inevitably something goes wrong with the plan, but this one has an ace or two up its sleeve in its story, defying expectations. It's at the crossroads of American film noir, which it leverages from, and the French New Wave, which it influenced, but it has a unique feel all its own. It may not be for everyone given its dearth of big action scenes, but I enjoyed it.
