Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers by Alain Corneau: Limited Edition - Radiance Films (Blu-ray)
Theatrical Release Dates: France, 1976 (Police Python 357), France, 1979 (Série noire), France, 1981 (Choice of Arms)
Director: Alain Corneau (All Films)
Cast: Yves Montand, François Périer, Simone Signoret, Stefania Sandrelli, Mathieu Carrière, Vadim Glowna (Police Python 357), Patrick Dewaere, Myriam Boyer, Marie Trintignant, Bernard Blier, Jeanne Herviale, Andreas Katsulas (Série noire), Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, Catherine Deneuve, Michel Galabru, Gérard Lanvin, Jean-Claude Dauphin, Jean Rougerie, Christian Marquand, Etienne Chicot, Richard Anconina, Pierre Forget (Choice of Arms)
Release Date: March 24th, 2025 (UK), April 8th, 2025 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 126 Minutes 24 Seconds (Police Python 357), 115 Minutes 53 Seconds (Série noire), 135 Minutes 46 Seconds (Choice of Arms)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Police Python 357, Série noire), 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Choice of Arms)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono French (All Films)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £39.99 (UK), $69.95 (USA)
"As their popularity waned in the US, the hardboiled genre remained hugely popular and relevant throughout the 1960s and 70s in France, thanks to the successful Serie Noire imprint and a succession of new translations. In Alain Corneau's early films, he sought to continue the noir tradition in his native France, and was both directly and indirectly inspired by titans of hardboiled genre, including Kenneth Fearing and Jim Thompson. A heady combination of classic noir and 70s grit, these three darkly thrilling films are vastly underrated and important works in the canon of crime cinema.
In Police Python 357, Yves Montand (The Wages of Fear) plays a tough cop who, when his lover is found murdered, finds himself implicated in her death and in a battle of wits with a powerful rival, in the second screen adaptation of Kenneth Fearing's The Big Clock.
Serie Noire adapts Jim Thompson's A Hell of A Woman to the banlieues of Paris: in an astonishing performance, Patrick Dewaere (Themroc) attempts to save a young girl from prostitution, with murder the only solution.
In Choice of Arms, Yves Montand heads an all-star cast, including Catherine Denueve and Gerard Depardieu, as a former crook pulled out of retirement when a gang on the run turn to him for shelter after a prison break.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor
Video: 4.5/5 (All Films)
Here’s the information provided about this release's transfers, "Police Python 357, Série noire and Choice of Arms were supplied to Radiance Films as high resolution digital files."
Police Python 357 comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.
Disc Size: 38.6 GB
Feature: 34.6 GB
Série noire comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.
Disc Size: 44.9 GB
Feature: 33.7 GB
Choice of Arms comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.
Disc Size: 44.6 GB
Feature: 36.9 GB
The sources utilized for these transfers appear similar; all imperfections have been addressed. Flesh tones appear healthy, colors seem accurate, image clarity is strong, and black levels along with compression are solid.
Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono French - All Films)
Police Python 357, Série Noire, and Choice of Arms each come with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. All of the audio mixes sound clean, clear, and balanced; range-wise, ambient sounds are well represented, and their scores sound robust.
Extras:
Extras for Police Python 357 include an interview with Maxim Jakubowski who discusses Police Python 357’s source novel and adaptation (15 minutes 11 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), archival interviews with director Alain Corneau and actor François Périer from Belgian Television (5 minutes 31 seconds, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Mike White.
Extras for Série noire include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 21 seconds, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles), on set interviews with Alain Corneau, actor Patrick Dewaere and actress Miriam Boyer from Belgian Television (10 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with Alain Corneau and actress Marie Trintignant (28 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an archival documentary titled Série noire: The Darkness of the Soul, featuring cast and crew on the making of Série noire (28 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), and a video essay by Paul Martinovic titled A Hollyhock in a Cornfield: Jim Thompson On Screen (29 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).
Extras for Série noire include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 42 seconds, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles), an interview with Manuela Lazic who discusses Yves Montand in the 1970s (23 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), on set interviews with Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve (18 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), an archival documentary for French television titled Shooting Choice of Arms, featuring interviews with the cast and crew and behind-the-scenes footage (21 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), and an introduction by documentary filmmaker Jérôme Wybon (3 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles).
Other extras include reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and a 80-page booklet with cast & crew information for each film, an archival interview with Alain Corneau conducted by David Hering, an essay titled Série noire: The Hardboiled Pulp Imprint That Changed French Culture written by Andrew Male, an essay titled Permafrost Pulp: The ‘Ouroborol’ Noir of Alain Corneau written by Travis Woods, an essay titled Police Python 357 and the Music of Georges Delerue written by Charlie Brigden, an essay titled Problem Policier: Choice of Arms and Alain Corneau’s Banlieue Noirs written by Nick Pinkerton, an archival writing titled A Tribute to Patrick Dewaere written by Alain Corneau, and information about the transfers.
Summary:
Police Python 357: Two men who know each other become unknowingly involved with the same woman. When one of them discovers that she is leaving him for the other man, he kills her.
Police Python 357 is an adaptation of Kenneth Fearing's novel The Big Clock through the lens of 1970s crime films like Dirty Harry and Death Wish. Though Kenneth Fearing's novel The Big Clock had been previously adapted into the 1948 film of the same name, Police Python 357, despite being from the same source, could not be more unalike. These two adaptations are connected by their premise: in one, the protagonist is a magazine editor, while in the other, the protagonist is a police officer. Besides swapping professions, tone-wise these two films are polar opposites.
The narrative centers around an inspector named Marc Ferrot, who is superbly portrayed by Yves Montand (The War Is Over). The inspector is a hard-nosed character who often goes over the line when doing his job. When he finds himself at the center of a murder investigation, he does everything possible to avoid witnesses. While the murder investigation is unfolding, he conducts his own parallel investigation to uncover the killer's identity and clear his name. What unfolds is an exhilarating game of cat and mouse, where the inspector finds himself in a race against time.
Though Yves Montand’s performance is the anchor, the rest of the cast are excellent in their roles. The other performance of note is Stefania Sandrelli (Seduced and Abandoned), who portrays Sylvia Leopardi, the woman who is romantically involved with two men. She delivers a solid performance of a woman at a crossroads. Notable cast members include François Périer (Le Samouraï), who portrays police commissioner Ganay, the other man and Inspector Ferrot’s boss, and Simone Signoret (Les Diaboliques), who portrays Ganay’s wife.
Police Python 357 immediately draws you in with its striking opening credits sequence where the protagonist gets ready by making bullets and putting them into his gun. Though there are a few other visual moments that grab your attention, for the most part the visuals let the performance be the main focal point. That said, Alain Corneau’s direction is superlative; he has a knack for creating tense moments.
From a production standpoint, Police Python 357 is a film that surpasses the sum of its parts. The premise is flawlessly executed, and a well-constructed narrative does a phenomenal job building to an exemplary finale. Another strength is Georges Delerue’s (The Conformist) score, which perfectly underscores the mood. Ultimately, Police Python 357 is an extraordinary film about a man who takes extreme measures, including disfiguring himself, to conceal his connection to a woman who was murdered.
Série noire: A door-to-door salesman becomes involved with a girl whose aunt has forced her into prostitution. Unhappy with his life, he sees a way out if he robs and kills the aunt, taking the girl with him.
Série noire is an adaptation of Jim Thompson’s novel A Hell of a Woman. Several of his novels have been adapted into films like After Dark, My Sweet, The Getaway, and The Grifters. He’s also worked as a screenwriter, collaborating twice with Stanley Kubrick, on The Killing and Paths of Glory.
Though Série noire fits firmly in the crime film genre, the result is one of the more unique French crime films. What begins as a drama about a man who is struggling and in a crumbling marriage transforms into a tale of a man who is driven to his breaking point and ultimately crosses the line. The setup is pure noir: a man who meets a woman (in this case, a girl) and helps her escape from a bad situation by committing murder.
The protagonist is a door-to-door salesman named Franck, who struggles in his job and is weary of his dismal life. He perceives himself as a victim; nothing ever goes his way. Everyone he encounters—his wife, the young girl and her aunt, his boss, and a friend named Tikides—shares a similarly bleak outlook, and they are all devoid of empathy. That said, despite the absence of likable characters, Série noire’s narrative does a phenomenal job holding your attention.
All around, the performances are outstanding; however, it is Patrick Dewaere’s (Get Out Your Handkerchiefs) portrayal of Franck that dominates every scene. Franck is a character filled with rage and driven by madness, and his performance perfectly encapsulates all of these traits. Another performance of note is Marie Trintignant (Betty), who plays Mona, a young girl who becomes attached to Franck. She delivers a subtle performance that contrasts with Patrick Dewaere’s performance.
From a production standpoint, Série noire is a film where everything falls into place. The premise is exceptionally well-executed, and the narrative effectively builds to a bittersweet twist ending. Though there are noir elements, the unfolding events possess an in-the-moment quality that is reminiscent of Neorealism. Furthermore, when it comes to the visuals, they always let the characters and their actions take center stage. Ultimately, Série noire is an exemplary example of the human condition through the lens of French crime cinema.
Choice of Arms: A criminal's past returns to haunt him when a former friend, who has been gravely wounded, brings along his impulsive accomplice, known for his temper.
With Choice of Arms, Alain Corneau delivers one of his most conventional crime films. At the heart of Choice of Arms are two characters whose lives intersect. One man who is older has firmly moved on from his past, while the other, a younger man, is living the life he once knew. Though the older man has left a life of crime behind, he still lives by the code Honor Among Thieves. When things go wrong because of a miscommunication, it causes a rift between them.
In its opening moments, Choice of Arms quickly establishes its tone with two bloody shootouts. From there the narrative does an excellent job balancing moments of exposition and violent outbursts. Though the moments of carnage can be attention-grabbing, it is ultimately the interplay between characters that drives the narrative. That said, it is not difficult to see with a film like Choice of Arms why Alain Corneau is seen by many as a successor to Jean-Pierre Melville.
There are two performances that stand out: Yves Montand (The Confession), who portrays Noel, a former criminal who now lives a peaceful life in the countryside, and Gérard Depardieu (The Last Metro), who portrays Mickey, a short-fused criminal driven by his destructive impulses. Though these two actors share a few scenes, most of their screen time is separate. Another cast member of note is Catherine Deneuve (Repulsion), who portrays Noel’s wife.
From a production standpoint, Choice of Arms is a film that fully exploits its resources. Though there is a deliberateness to the narrative's pacing, there is never any momentum that drags or disrupts momentum. Another strength is Philippe Sarde’s (The Tenant) score, which perfectly underscores the mood. Ultimately, Choice of Arms is an exemplary crime film that culminates with a poignant coda.
Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers by Alain Corneau is an exceptional release from Radiance Films; all three films have solid audio/video presentations and informative extras, highly recommended.
Written by Michael Den Boer
