Overview
An aging gambler risks it all in a high-stakes game of chance and deception.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- cool
- fatalistic
- classic movie night
- film noir marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praise the film as a stylish, witty homage to American gangster cinema and a formative precursor to the French New Wave.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Melville uses location shooting, handheld camerawork, jump cuts, and naturalistic nightlife imagery before the movement's canonical breakthroughs.
Bob's carefully organized casino robbery is threatened by police knowledge and his own decision to gamble during the operation.
The film's gangster archetypes, heist planning, cool criminal codes, and witty fatalism reflect Melville's affection for American gangster movies.
Bob is defined as much by his attraction to gambling and risk as by his reputation as an old gangster and safecracker.
Films like Bob le Flambeur, and why
Breathless
French New Wave precursor combining stylish crime filmmaking, gambling culture, and cool urban nocturnal atmosphere
Le Samouraï
French heist noir centered on professional criminals, precise planning, and a restrained code of behavior
Rififi
Elegant casino-centered crime film sharing fatalistic noir tension, criminal professionalism, and stylish minimalism
The Asphalt Jungle
Classic American gangster noir whose genre conventions and cool criminal iconography are consciously reworked
Movie Details
- Director
- Jean-Pierre Melville
- Release Date
- 1956-08-24
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (306)
Cast
- Roger Duchesne
- Isabelle Corey
- Daniel Cauchy
- Gérard Buhr
- Guy Decomble
- Claude Cerval
- Howard Vernon
- Colette Fleury
- Simone Paris
- René Havard
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Bob le Flambeur about?
- An aging Montmartre gangster risks an impeccably planned casino robbery when his lifelong addiction to gambling turns strategy into fate.
- What is Bob le Flambeur like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Bob le Flambeur as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Bob le Flambeur violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Bob le Flambeur as mild.
- What did critics think of Bob le Flambeur?
- Critics broadly praise the film as a stylish, witty homage to American gangster cinema and a formative precursor to the French New Wave.
- Which films are like Bob le Flambeur?
- Films with a similar feel include Breathless, Le Samouraï, Rififi, and The Asphalt Jungle.
- How long is Bob le Flambeur?
- Bob le Flambeur runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch Bob le Flambeur?
- In United States, Bob le Flambeur is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
