It’s remarkable and deserving of more respect how modern Jean-Pierre Melville‘s films still look. Show Army of Shadows to your cousin and I can’t promise they won’t call it boring, but they certainly wouldn’t look immediately away. A palpably cold struggle against one of the most imposing mountains of an army in human history. As with Le Samourai, the dark foreboding in the air invites you to wait for the inevitable tragedy with bated breath. A baton pass structure keeps the pacing strong.