The Wicked Go to Hell

Good directing and acting too, typical of the French crime or drama movies from the fifties. Henri Vidal and Serge Reggiani are awesome in their roles, but the overall scheme is so classic, overused, with the unavoidable femme fatale; here Marina Vlady who was at this time Robert Hossein's spouse. This is not really a crime film, not entirely, rather a drama, character study. I prefer Auguste Le Breton's adaptations: RIFIFI, LE ROUGE EST MIS, but that's a matter of taste after all. I did not read Frederic Dard's novel - or stage play - which it is adapted from. Robert Hossein was involved in some other Dard's stuff adaptings: TOI LE VENIN, LES SCELERATS, but also from James Hadley Chase - MEFIEZ VOUS FILLETTES, CHAIR DE POULE; and Auguste Le Breton: BRIGADE ANTI GANGS, DU RIFIFI CHEZ LES FEMMES, RIFIFI CHEZ LES HOMMES.... Marina Vlady is so gorgeous here.