(1959)2.5Craig ButlerIn Deux Hommes Dans Manhattan, as in most of the work of the singular French director Jean-Pierre Melville, it's difficult to live a moral life. "Moral," of course, is defined differently by different characters in different situations; here, it is presented rather blatantly as the choice presented the two journalists, to tell the truth about a murder or to create a lie. But, though they each choose the latter, one of them wants to create a lie that will bring personal gain, the other a lie that will preserve a reputation and be for the "public good." What they cannot fully acknowledge is that choosing to lie, even for a supposedly good cause, compromises them morally, and this is what Melville is getting at: life inevitably calls for moral compromise, but this compromise creates and sustains a sense of melancholy that cannot be shaken. It's a destructive situation, but subtly so. This is what is at the heart of Hommes, underneath all of the standard-issue detective story trappings, and it's what really interests Melville. Unfortunately, the director isn't able to articulate this as strongly as is needed, and it doesn't meld with the straightforward story that is being told and thus ends up weakening the film. It's filled with all the visual strengths and attention to detail that one expects of Melville, but it fails to add up to a perfectly satisfying whole.
cast-crew for Deux Hommes Dans Manhattan on AllMovie
