"Chantage" is not a major title in french film noir, perhaps too cliché sometimes. The beginning is quite slow but when we discover Raymond Pellegrin's real activity, the movie gets really interesting. Pellegrin is awful good playing the hoodlum falling in love with his victim and who has to make the better choice for everybody. And Noël Roquevert is once again unforgettable as the tough organizer, with some great sequences. But both script and direction lack rhythm.
"Chantage" is not a masterpiece in french film noir, scriptwriter Jacques Companéez has written much better : "Casque d'or" or "la Foire aux chimères". Guy Lefranc was just an ordinary director for commercial comedies (Fernand Reynaud, Eddie Constantine, Francis Blanche and so many more). It happens he directed Louis Jouvet in his two last movies, one being "Knock", his very best.
"Chantage" is not a masterpiece in french film noir, scriptwriter Jacques Companéez has written much better : "Casque d'or" or "la Foire aux chimères". Guy Lefranc was just an ordinary director for commercial comedies (Fernand Reynaud, Eddie Constantine, Francis Blanche and so many more). It happens he directed Louis Jouvet in his two last movies, one being "Knock", his very best.
