Bob le Flambeur (1956)

★ 7.3 1h 43m IMDb
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In Paris, Bob Montagne is practically synonymous with gambling -- and winning. He is kind, classy and well-liked by virtually everyone in town, including police inspector Ledru. However, when Bob's luck turns sour, he begins to lose friends and makes the most desperate gamble of his life: to rob the Deauville casino during Grand Prix weekend, when the vaults are full. Unfortunately, Bob soon learns that the game is rigged and the cops are on to him.

Bob le Flambeur

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Cast

Roger Duchesne
Roger Duchesne as Robert 'Bob le Flambeur' Montagné Died 1996 · Luxeuil-les-Bains, Haute-Saône, France
Isabelle Corey
Isabelle Corey as Anne Died 2011 Isabelle Corey (29 May 1939 – 6 February 2011) was a French actress and model. Corey started modeling in Paris in her teens for magazines such as Jardin des Modes, Elle and Madame Figaro. She was dis...
Daniel Cauchy
Daniel Cauchy as Paulo Died 2020 · Boulogne-Billancourt, Seine [now Hauts-de-Seine], France Daniel Cauchy (13 March 1930 – 8 May 2020) was a French film actor and producer. He was known for his role in Jean-Pierre Melville's 1956 crime film Bob le flambeur. He died from COVID-19. His son D...
Guy Decomble
Guy Decomble as Police Commissary Ledru Died 1964 · Aulnay-sous-Bois, Seine-Saint-Denis, France Guy Decomble (1910–1964) was a French film and television actor. A character actor he played in a number of supporting parts in postwar cinema. One of his better known roles is as the teacher in The 4...
Claude Cerval
Claude Cerval as Jean, the Croupier Died 1972 · Paris, France Claude Cerval (21 February 1921 – 25 July 1972) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than forty films from 1955 to 1971. After his secondary studies, he took drama lessons with, among others,...
Howard Vernon
Howard Vernon as McKimmie, the Sponsor Died 1996 · Baden-Baden, Grand Duchy of Baden [now Baden-Württemberg, Germany] Howard Vernon (15 July 1908 – 25 July 1996), born Mario Walter Lippert, was a German-Swiss stage and film actor who appeared in films by Jean-Pierre Melville, Sacha Guitry, Fritz Lang, Roger Vadim, Je...

Audience Reviews

gvasil 7/10 Oct 25, 2025
A quintessential film noir from the Godfather of the French Nouvelle Vague, which, through the life of a high-class gambler, uniquely transports us to the nightlife of Montmartre in the 50s.

Jean-Pierre Melville paves the way for the arrival of the French New Wave at the end of the same decade with the use of jump cuts, natural lighting, and handheld camera work. What he masterfully achieves, however, is to convey the entire atmosphere of post-war Montmartre to the big screen, which at that time was a hub for gamblers, prostitutes, petty criminals, and jazz musicians, in stark contrast to its current touristy image.

The camera follows Bob through narrow alleys filled with cabarets, bistros, cheap hotels, and old residences, with the only landmark of virtue and tranquility being the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur, which looms majestically in the background of the scenes that take us to the gambler Bob's apartment. A pathological gambler with moral values who does not hesitate to set aside his personal gain, even in love, when he recognizes something pure within the sinful nightlife of Montmartre. A cynical anti-hero who, even when he veers back towards criminality, does so not merely for the easy wealth he hopes for, but primarily for the thrill of this enormous bet, the largest he has ever placed in his life. A bet with tragic consequences, mainly for others.

Bob, like Melville, has experienced it all. He is no longer afraid of prison or death. He is content to spend his days languidly, allowing his passion to destroy him. Parallel lives with the film's director, who had one passion throughout his life: to make films. And he did, from the age of 6. The only thing that interrupted him was World War II, during which he joined the French Resistance and fought the Nazis until the end. As soon as the war was over, he returned to his passion, which he pursued relentlessly until death stopped him. He directed 13 films and died at the young age of 55, while writing the script for his 14th film, leaving behind a unique cinematic legacy.

Originally posted on The Film Project:

https://thefilmproject.org/movie/Bob%20le%20Flambeur%20(1956)#review-bdd5a646-6340-448a-a2f6-16fe0d453fae

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