Review of Pickpocket (1959) by Todd J — 10 Jun 2007

Pickpocket: I broke my Robert Bresson hymen with this profoundly stylish 1959 classic. It captures that New Wave energy and cranks it up to 10 with remarkable results, and although I want to see Diary of a Country Priest much more, I think this is probably the best flick of his to start with.

Its influence on Paul Schrader's Taxi Driver couldn't be more apparent because their basic plots are the same: an isolated young man resorts to crime in order to forge connections with females.

Of course, it isn't quite that simple, and while I don't feel Pickpocket comes close to Taxi Driver in terms of creating a completely credible and rounded protagonist, Bresson outdoes Scorsese's masterful directing work, making every shot count and every scene resonate.

The training sequence beats the crap outta any boxing or karate movie in terms of sheer exuberance and wonder. Unfortunately, in the end, the final product comes off a little cold to me. Because after the incredible direction and overall perfect sense of cool, none of the film's characters becomes more than a cardboard cut-out, leaving you with a colder feeling than a movie this inspiring probably would.

**** out've *****.