Greed in the Sun

The Western template applied on French truck drivers in Morocco 1963. A movie, full of male sweat, tough characters, dust, sand and filth. Lino Ventura is a great guy and Belmondo, the double-crosser, is... Simply classically excellent Belmondo. Plus, it’s splendidly filmed. Hats off to Henri Verneuil. For instance the minimalistic chase with all those hairpin bends is shot truly unbelievably (not only) for 1964. It could doubtless spice up any movie to this day. Let alone the music. So put the fan on, turn the air-conditioning up to full and follow this tough gang of rascals into the furnace and the mugginess of the Moroccan desert. And maybe, but really just maybe, there will be the hundred thousand dollars waiting for them at the end. (29/01/2008)

A classically cast and narrated adventure story set in the scorching environment of the western Sahara, where long before the famous Paris-Dakar Rally was created, merciless races against time, miles, and above all, rival truck drivers portrayed by Lino Ventura and Jean-Paul Belmondo took place. The pros and cons are actually the same - the viewer gets exactly what they are used to and what they expect. They will not be disappointed because the men are true tough guys who know how to fight against the adversity of fate, nature, and the schemes of enemies. On the other hand, they will not be pleasantly surprised either because this film consistently relies on certainties. Only a slightly more experienced viewer will soon guess how the cargo and the friendship of both men on opposite sides of the barricade will end up. The unused potential of Ventura's co-driver - a man with a mysterious and probably quite dirty past - is doubly disappointing. The screenwriter could have been much more inventive and daring in this section (and elsewhere). Overall impression: 65%. (13/06/2014)