Breathless (1983)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Jim McBride

Writers:

François Truffaut (story)
Jean-Luc Godard (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 June 1983 (Australia)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

He's the last man on earth any woman needs - but every woman wants...

Plot:

Jesse has to get out of Las Vegas quickly, and steals a car to drive to L.A. On the way he shoots a police man...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Cop Killer | Male Nudity | Remake Of French Film | Cult Favorite

Cast

Richard Gere	...	Jesse Lujack
Valérie Kaprisky	...	Monica Poiccard
Art Metrano	...	Birnbaum
John P. Ryan	...	Lt. Parmental
William Tepper	...	Paul
Robert Dunn	...	Sgt. Enright
Garry Goodrow	...	Tony Berrutti
Lisa Jane Persky	...	Salesgirl (as Lisa Persky)
James Hong	...	Grocer
Waldemar Kalinowski	...	Tomachoff
Jack Leustig	...	Highway Patrolman
Eugène Lourié	...	Dr. Boudreaux (as Eugene Lourié)
Georg Olden	...	Kid
Miguel Pinero	...	Carlito
Henry G. Sanders	...	Man with Pipe

Also Known As:

A Bout de Souffle Made in USA

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Australia:R | USA:R (certificate #26909) | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Breathless Associates

Trivia:

'Michael Mann' originally worked on the screenplay but left the project to make The Keep (1983).

Quotes:

Detective: "Don't F-U-C-K with the L.A.P.D."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in My Best Friend's Birthday (1987)

Soundtrack:

Wind on Water / Wind on Wind

I really liked this film

To me Richard Gere carried the movie--he managed to make Jesse LuJak a character both repulsive and likeable. LuJak is a petty criminal, car-thief and then a murderer, not very bright (he reads comic books and seems to model himself on The Silver Surfer). LuJak moves in a world of cheap motels and seedy bars, and has a torrid and obviously doomed affair with an art student. But in the end he comes off as somehow admirable--we believe that he loves the Kapinsky character, that he might even be a good father to her child, given the chance. LuJak comes mighty near what I would call a tragic hero--flaws and all.

As for the look of the movie, I find that equally well done--just for example, at one point the hero and heroine make love in torrid red lights, with a black-and white 30s movie in the background, also dealing with doomed lovers. The juxtaposed images were very nicely handled.

Both thumbs up!