Seeing Red: 3 French Vigilante Thrillers – Fun City Editions (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: France, 1982 (Shot Pattern), France, 1984 (Street of the Damned, Black List)
Directors: Jean-Claude Missiaen (Shot Pattern), Gilles Béhat (Street of the Damned), Alain Bonnot (Black List)
Cast: Gérard Lanvin, Véronique Jannot, Michel Constantin, Mario David, Roland Blanche, Jean-Roger Milo, David Jalil, Steve Kalfa, Dominique Pinon, Roland Amstutz, Patricia Millardet, Pierre Londiche (Shot Pattern), Bernard Giraudeau, Christine Boisson, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Michel Auclair, Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Jean-Claude Dreyfus (Street of the Damned), Annie Girardot, Paul Crauchet, Bernard Brieux, Sandrine Dumas, Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Michel Aumont (Black List)

Release Date: May 7th, 2024
Approximate Running Times: 86 Minutes 25 Seconds (Shot Pattern), 107 Minutes 27 Seconds (Street of the Damned), 90 Minutes 32 Seconds (Black List)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Shot Pattern, Black List), 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Street of the Damned)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono French (All Films)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $64.95

"A Paris flea market vendor (Gérard Lanvin) is transformed into a vigilante after his fiancée is murdered by three vicious thugs on a commuter train in Jean-Claude Missiaen's Shot Pattern (Tir Groupé, 1982). As the revenge-minded young man tracks the killers, a veteran police inspector leads a parallel investigation.

Gilles Béhat transposes Goodis' Street of the Lost from 1950s Philadelphia to a desolate, almost post-apocalyptic Paris suburb. There, no one dares challenge crime boss Hagen, who rules his turf with an iron fist. That includes his former friend Chet (Bernard Giraudeau), who vows to keep to himself in order to protect his loved ones. But Hagen keeps pushing his buttons...and Chet can only stand for so much before he explodes.

Three teenage Parisian punks are duped by a crime syndicate into committing a bank robbery that will distract the authorities while the seasoned crooks hijack an armored truck across town in Alain Bonnot's Black List (Liste Noire, 1984). Disaster ensues and two of the youngsters are killed, including the estranged daughter of widowed auto repair shop owner Jeanne Dufour (Annie Girardot). A grieving Jeanne ignores her own fear, as well as the law, and sets out to eliminate all of those responsible for her daughter's death." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (Shot Pattern, Street of the Damned, Black List)

Shot Pattern comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 26.9 GB

Feature: 24.6 GB

Street of the Damned comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.5 GB

Feature: 31 GB

Black List comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 26.9 GB

Feature: 26.1 GB

No information is provided about the source used for these transfers. That said, quality-wise, in most areas, the three films are comparable. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look correct, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5 (DTS-HD Mono French - Shot Pattern, DTS-HD Mono French - Street of the Damned, DTS-HD Mono French - Black List)

Each film comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. All audio tracks sound clean, clear, balanced, and robust when they should.

Extras:

Extras for Shot Pattern include an image gallery with music from the film playing in the background, a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), original ending with director Jean-Claude Missiaen’s commentary (3 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), an archival featurette with actor Gérard Lanvin (53 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an archival featurette with Jean-Claude Missiaen (3 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Travis Woods.

Extras for Street of the Damned include an image gallery with music from the film playing in the background, a short theatrical trailer (44 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), a teaser trailer (1 minute 4 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu (16 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with director Gilles Béhat (12 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Travis Woods.

Extras for Black List include an image gallery with music from the film playing in the background, an audio commentary with Walter Chaw, and a promo trailer for this collection of films titled Seeing Red (1 minute 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo with English text).

Other extras included a reversible cover, a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), and 12-page booklet with an essay titled Streets of the Damned: The French Crime Film written by Barry Forshaw, and cast & crew information for each film.

Summary:

Shot Pattern: When the law does not act swiftly to bring to justice the three men who murdered his girlfriend, a man becomes a vigilante.

Frustration with how slowly the law works is a staple of vigilante cinema, and it is this type of frustration that pushes the protagonist in Shot Pattern into action. Already on the edge since the murder of his girlfriend, the protagonist has only one thing on his mind: vengeance. His impatience at the pace at which the law works only further enhances his anger, despite the fact that the police are diligently working on the case.

Though the central motive driving this narrative is vengeance, it is the narrative's structure that gives Shot Pattern its power. The narrative constantly flows between the present and flashbacks of the protagonist and his girlfriend during happier times. These flashbacks provide more depth for her character and their relationship.

All around, the performances are great, especially Gérard Lanvin's (Strange Affair) portrayal of Antoine, the boyfriend who becomes a vigilante when they kill the woman he loved. He delivers an exceptional performance that perfectly captures his character's state of mind. Véronique Jannot's (Thieves After Dark) portrayal of Antoine’s murder girlfriend is equally captivating. The scenes that they share are the heart and soul of Shot Pattern.

From a production standpoint, Shot Pattern is a film that does not waste a moment. Its well-constructed narrative does an amazing job of building momentum, and there is a good balance between exposition and violent outbursts. Also, there is a gritty realism to the events that unfold. Shot Pattern masterfully employs sight and sound to heighten the mood. Ultimately, Shot Pattern is a riveting crime/melodrama that quickly draws you in and will hold your attention through to its bleak ending.

Street of the Damned: A man’s act of kindness puts him in the crosshairs of a crime boss and his violent thugs.

Another theme central to vigilante cinema is how criminals leverage fear. A crime lord and his thugs terrorize the neighborhood in The Street of the Damned, a story about their tyranny. Not wanting to become the next victim, most people look away when someone else is in trouble. And if someone does the right thing, like the protagonist, they have a target on their back.

The most impressive aspect of Streets of the Damned is Bernard Giraudeau’s (The Medic) portrayal of Daniel Chetman, a former gang leader who turned his life around. He is a man of principle who, when faced with a problem, refused to turn a blind eye. Also, his physical presence makes his character all the more formidable. That said, the rest of the cast is adequate.

Despite a very effective opening setup, the narrative loses a considerable amount of its momentum. And though there are a few eventful moments along the way, things don’t pick up again until a knockdown drag-out fight finale. And at 107 minutes in length, the narrative pacing often moves too slowly. Ultimately, Street of the Damned is a film where its negatives outweigh its positives.

Black List: A group of criminals planning an armored car robbery need a decoy, so they hire three teenagers to rob a bank. In the aftermath, the three teenagers search for those who set them up. And when they find them, two die, while one narrowly walks away. From there, the one survivor teams up with the mother of one of the slain teens in a quest for vengeance.

The law works in favor of criminals, who exploit all of the loopholes as a central theme in many vigilante films. Those who make the laws set the parameters within which the police must work, despite their own frustrations. Black List has a character, the lead detective, who sympathizes with the mother turned vigilante because the people she is killing have often evaded punishment for their many crimes. And on the opposite side is his higher-up, who is more concerned with punishing law-abiding citizens frustrated by a system that failed them.

Though the loss of a loved one is a key element in most vigilante films, Black List puts an interesting twist on this by making its protagonist an estranged mother. Despite their separation, the mother's bond with her child is as strong as ever. That said, this dynamic adds greatly to the story that unfolds.

The entire cast is great in their roles, especially Annie Girardot's (Rocco and His Brothers) portrayal of Jeanne Dufour, an estranged mother turned vigilante. Her performance perfectly captures her character's rage.

The most surprising aspect of Black List is its action set pieces, most of which end in violent outbursts. The centerpiece of these is an elaborate armored car robbery that uses another crime as a decoy. Another standout moment is a car chase finale that ends in a shootout. That said, when it comes to on-screen violence, it is graphic.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Black List does not excel. The perfectly constructed narrative is overflowing with tense moments. Also, though there are some moments where the visuals do stand out, for the most part they let the characters take center stage. Ultimately, Black List is an extraordinary exploration of the depths one will go to avenge the murder of someone they loved.

Seeing Red: 3 French Vigilante Thrillers is an excellent release from Fun City Editions that gives all the films solid audio/video presentations and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer