'Been dying to see this movie for years, so's I finally sacrificed a night at the movies for me and my lovely Bride an' bought the danged thing off Amazon.
Now, 'fore I go any further, I must say it was well worth every danged penny I spent -- and if you’re a fan of PA movies like Ah know you are, this one's sure as shinola gonna send shivers of dee-light right up an' down yer spine.
It's got it all: Desolate landscape . . . Scavengers feeding off of one another in a good ole fashioned brutal struggle for survival . . . A city in ruins . . . Hell, this'n's even got fish raining from the sky.
You get the picture (which, by the way, is shot in beautiful black and white anamorphic).
Pierre Jolivet plays a lone survivor residing by his lonesome in an office building resting all alone in a vast desert. Now don’t ask me how it got there, I don’t know and and you don't eed to know -- because when you see that first spine-tingling shot o' that office building just setting there in the desert, I KNOW you'll be hooked right into PA fantasy heaven.
Oh, an without giving too much away, the opening shot of the film is not only hilarious, but it captures all of the pathos of being a man alone after the Apocalypse. Pierre goes an' steals himself a car battery from a small settlement of rough desert yankees (or the French equivalent, anyways--Don't ask Johnny Reb!) and after a harrowing chase, he flies off in his homemade airplane! He just needed that last car battery! Suspension of belief is a MUST in watching this movie because its a ballsey 'take no prisoners' style of filmmaking. Take Johnny Reb's advice an' just go with it.
So, after some nice shots of said plane gliding over the desolate nuclear landscape, out of nowhere he crash-lands into a ruined city, takes up residence in a gutted hotel lobby and whittles away his time drinking from the fully stocked bar and listening to his tape player.
And then along comes Jean Reno, a big nasty brute, to spoil the solo party. After one helluva fight scene, our poor hero is in a bad way and barely manages to escape into the arms of a 'sensitive artist/doctor type' who nurses him back to health.
It’s worth mentioning at this point that this movie has almost NO dialogue. Something in the air has effected the vocal chords to the extent that the characters can barely muster a grunt, 'Least that's Johnny Reb's take on it.
Pierre and the doc become fast friends and do their best to live the civilized life, making do with what they have, and even strive to go beyond mere survival by pursuing and appreciating art. If ya can believe it!
And then the big nasty shows up once again to spoil the party.
The Doc has a secret to keep (it’s a doozy -- don't you worry, Johnny Reb knows how to keep his mouth shut) and the Brute is intent on discovering it.
It all leads to an exciting showdown that this ole coot wouldn’t dare give away.
This movie is really quite exceptional. The entire story is told with images only and it doesn’t come off as a gimmick at all, 'fact, I think it makes for far more compelling cinema. The production design is sublime, details in every scene that makes the dreamer of the PA world salivate.
The cinematography just blew ole Johnny away. This is not your black and white 16 mm student film, this is 35 mm shot with anamorphic lenses with style and obvious expertise. I went in to this thing expecting to see low budgetsmeared all over the place, but I was pleasantly surprised.
What can I say about the acting? The actors had no lines, they had to convey their character through their actions, body movements, and facial expressions. Brilliant performances all around.
Johnny Reb's only gripe is the music. It’s corny as hell, and does a great disservice to the images. Not fer nothin' but as ya can prob'ly guess -- Johnny eb ain't the biggest fan of 1980s French techno. But, 'least it didn't ruin the film for me. Not by a long shot.
The DVD itself is bare. Just the movie and the trailer. The transfer was handled well, as the film is free of splotches and imperfections. Try to watch it on a widescreen TV if you can, believe me it’s worth it. This is a must have for any serious PA movie collection.
--Johnny Reb
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