Bresson has taken elements from Dostoyevski's "Crime and Punishment" and Camus' "The Stranger," yet comes up with a film so dull and pointless that it's a chore to sit through it despite the short running time. The pickpocket scenes are so poorly executed that it's hard to believe that the victims would be so oblivious. The performances by actors making their film debuts range from dull to wooden. LaSalle is meant to be brooding as the protagonist, but he wears the same dour-faced expression throughout the film, making him about as interesting as a wet noodle. Green is quite lovely; LaSalle's lack of interest in her (until the contrived ending) is implausible.
Review of Pickpocket
