Breathless review

 Number 358 on the top 1000 films of all time is Jean-Luc Goddard's French crime-drama film 'Breathless.'

Michel (Jean-Paul Bermondo) is a petty-crook who after stealing a car and killing a policeman in Marseille hides out in Paris where he quickly starts up a relationship with American exchange-student Patricia (Jean Seberg.) In love with her, he tries convincing her to run away with him, but she has other ideas.

Breathless received much fanfare for its visual style which was pioneered by none other than by leader of the French New Wave movement - Jean-Luc Goddard. When it came to editing down the film rather than cutting whole scenes, Goddard instead cut out parts of the scenes themselves employing what has come to be known as jump cuts. Watch any Youtube video from the 2010's and you'll understand what I mean. Reportedly, Goddard improvised most of the film writing most of the dialogue in a journal that only he was allowed to see. As for the actors, he told them the dialogue while filming. It was all very experimental.

Was it an experiment that worked? In my opinion, no. Unless the experiment was to see whether Goddard could make the most boring film known to man. Mother-in-heaven I have seen 3 or 4 - hour long films that have more life than this 90-minute snooze fest. At least Ben-Hur had the exciting chariot race and things actually happen in Gone with the Wind. Granted, not the best things but things nonetheless.

Very little happens in Breathless. The film starts interestingly enough with Michel killing the police officer, but the narrative tension screeches to a halt when he reaches Paris. Goddard then mostly treats us to thrilling scenes of Michel and Patricia arguing in a smoky Parisian bedroom. Fascinating...not. Nothing was happening and there was a sense that nothing was going to happen. It was all so boring.

It didn't help that Michel wasn't a likeable character. Yes, he is a petty crook, thief and cop-killer, but he isn't even interesting to watch. Patrick Bateman in American Psycho is a freaking serial killer, but I was actually interested in reading about him. I had no interest at all about following Michel's journey.

And I had no interest in this film either. 358th on the 1000 best films of all time? More like 358th on the 1000 most boring films of all time.