Les Carabiniers (1963)

I tell ya, when Godard goes bad he doesn't fuck around. Here, ol' JLG decided to construct an entire film around one crude idea ("War turns men into beasts!"), but after he's proven that within ten minutes, all he can do is keep shouting that idea in our ear and hope that easily cowed critics will mistake his smug one-trick pony for something profound. Adding to the insult is the poor acting by all involved, which was I guess to be expected from a bunch of rank amateurs being directed by a man who too often sides with aesthetic experimentation and political harangues over human behavior (does that make JLG the arthouse answer to George Lucas?). What's really surprising, though, is that Godard's direction is godawful. Many scenes are wrecked by clumsy setups, and the editing is dismal (every shot begins one second too soon and is held one second too long). For once, the French were right about something -- this film bites.

Grade: D