Greed in the Sun

Take two large tablespoons of Lino Ventura and Jean-Paul Belmondo with a sliver of Bernard Blier, add exotic location, mix with writer Michel Audiard and sprinkle with composer Georges Delerue and you should have a recipe for success. That is certainly the case here as this film of Henri Verneuil became one of the biggest box office hits of 1964 despite generally negative reviews.

Messieurs Ventura and Belmondo had certainly gelled in 'Classe toutes Risques' four years earlier and by the time they made this they were riding high in the popularity stakes. Belmondo also scored a hit during the same year with 'That Man from Rio'. Bernard Blier, father of director Bertrand, is always good value and with the help of Michel Audiard's dialogue, effortlessly steals his scenes. The quartet is completed by a plank named Reginald Kernan. The female interest is supplied by Andrea Parisy and Anne-Marie Coffinet who are required to be little more than eye candy.

After a rather slow opening with a lot of mucho macho posturing the film gradually builds momentum and although the chase sequences are vaguely reminiscent of 'Les Salaires de la Peur', there is neither the tension nor the subtle characterisation of Clouzot's film.

The cinematography in Franscope by Marcel Grignon takes full advantage of the arid, rocky landscape and Verneuil shows his customary slick direction and technical expertise. The film is inclined to meander and is a wee bit long but the charismatic leads keep one watching.

Surprisingly it was entered at Cannes but considering some of the competition that year it was hardly likely to win. The film's colonial stance and its attitude towards the female of the species is likely to raise a few eyebrows these days but it is what it is: an entertaining period piece. The 'brawn over brain' element is of course, timeless!

Henri Verneuil is reported to have said that in this 'the trucks are the stars'. That might have been his intention but as far as this viewer is concerned Messieurs Ventura, Belmondo and Blier win on points!