Jean-Pierre Melville: Le deuxième souffle (Take I)

Now digging Le deuxième souffle / Second Wind (1966), yet another meticulously shot black and white flick by Jean-Pierre Melville. Film noir, thriller, anti-heroism -- name it what you want to, but next time you say it, you better run!*

Again, Melville's experiences in the Resistance must have informed his taut feel for the underworld lives of his main characters. Riveting cat-and-mouse games, high stakes, bursts of violence.  The element of surprise. You can fairly often see scenes that telegraph Melville's influence on Quentin Tarantino and a slew of other contemporary filmmakers. Let's not forget detecting his inspiration in the details of various recent crime series, as well. Regardless,  Le deuxième souffle is all crystal cool and clear and groovy in its own right. C'est oh!

Today's Rune: Fertility.  *A phrase stolen from Bob Dylan, repackaged and rolled out in tandem.