In 1984, action films weren't very desirable in France. With the exception of Verneuil's "Les morfalous", Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the temple of doom" and few other works, the French spectators preferred to spend their money on comedies or romantic movies. Still, with "Rue barbare", director Gilles Béhat managed to make an action-packed gangster film that surpassed two million admissions and has remained something of a cult film in France. The question whether it was deserving of all that doesn't have a clear answer.
"Rue barbare", which can be translated as "Barbarous street" - although in English it sounds strange- follows outcast Daniel Chetman (Bernard Giraudeau), who is tired of crime boss Mathias Hagen's reign of terror over his neighborhood. He decides to face him in order to restore piece in the region, and during his struggle experiences difficulties in his personal life.
Giles Béhat's direction left a lot to be desired, but he succeeded in making an enjoyable action film and showing the hero's quest for justice. Still, he made use of shots lasting too long for the viewer to pay attention to, and couldn't make up for that due to the lack of a good screenplay.
The performances were way better than the direction, since the main protagonists embodied their characters realistically. Giraudeau is an excellent actor, who can play both the everyman (see for further proof, "Viens chez moi, j'habite chez une copine") and the dramatic hero, one such being Daniel Chetman. While the viewer is supposed to be on his side because of his disadvantaged position as the victim of the crime boss, his irritable personality can make some viewers feel resentment for him. The scenes where he argues with his lover are representative of that, since he resorts to violence to make his anger known. Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, who interpreted Hagen was also convincing as the ruthless villain of the story, who is desperate not to lose his grasp over the neighborhood and applies every method possible to stop Chetman from succeeding in his cause. These two actors - The two Bernards- were the ones that kept the film going.
Special mention is worth to the cinematographer, Jean-François Roben, since he made an excellent job, his use of the dark, yet neon-lit suburban landscape making for a great film setting.
The music was typical of a crime-action film of the era, comprised of pop-rock pieces. This, of course, doesn't mean it was of low quality. The songs were infectious, and the musical accompaniment, with great use of the synthesiser, was very pleasant to hear. The music offered great accompaniment to the action scenes, and was another factor of the film being enjoyable in spite of the deficient direction and script.
All in all, "Rue barbare" is no special a film, but its commercial character and solid acting make it an attention-deserving work, for all its faults.
