Somewhere in Sicily, Vittorio Manalase (played by Jean Gabin) plays the father/leader of a criminal family clan who hires a rather prestigious outsider, Roget Sarte (played by Alain Delon) to plan a heist of a Paris jewelry show. But Roget isn't exactly trustworthy, and he's captured the eye of LeGoff (played by Lino Ventura), who is a determined police chief that will stop at nothing and break every regulation in the book to get his man. The movie had some really strange music that sounded like it was left over from a spaghetti western, and the acting was a homogenous mixture of overacting and underacting. Yet, there are a handful of unintentionally funny scenes, like when LeGoff busts Malik, a shadowy photographer. After screwing up a handful of negatives of Roget's face, Malik comments heartily with "Dammit, they're exposed!" even though his plan to protect Roget was bloody obvious. Another good scene was when Rivelle, a junkie who was surprised by LeGoff's sudden raid on his house, blurts "I was sound asleep, and they burst into my room and turned everything upside down!" His voice was so high pitched and manic, it's always funny, no matter how often I watch this movie. Near the end, however, the enjoyment factor grinds down to a halt, except for a minor spark when Roget was in a phone booth screaming at Vittorio after an unsuccessful attempt by LeGoff to bust him in an airport. All in all, it wasn't a bad movie, but it had some flaws that turned it into an awkward comedy instead of a thriller.
Review of The Sicilian Clan
