recommended

Load of rubbish!!

Just so...so bad

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Jean Gabin and Bourvil star in this film set during the German occupation. During this time, everyday items were often impossible to get and the black market, though very illegal, was the only way to get things like fresh meat and soap. The two stars of this film spend the evening trying to smuggle four suitcases full of pork through the streets of Paris without the Nazis catching them. Not the noblest of enterprises, I must admit.The reviews for "Four Bags Full" are extremely favorable--and have ratings that mostly fall in the 8 or 9 range. Because of this, my sights were set very high with this film. This, combined with my love of French films, made me think I'd really like this film...but I didn't. I only found it passable and, most importantly, I kept having trouble staying awake as I watched. I guess I just don't see things the way others do when it comes to this movie. I found the plot sluggish and much of Gabin's behaviors through the film just didn't make a lot of sense. I also strongly believe the film played much better long ago...when memories of the occupation and rationing were still quite fresh.

Claude Autant Lara was an important film maker of what is known as "old style French cinema". After "Douce", it is one of his most famous films. This film is a good portrayal of all the qualities good or bad with which a French person would like to associate. No aspect of human behavior is left untouched. There is greed, seduction, fear, optimism etc. Much of the film's brilliance is due to its simple style. There is not much of dramatization and what viewers see is a display of pure acting. The two major roles are played by Jean Gabin and Bourvil. As the film is set in Paris, viewers get an unbiased visual depiction of one of the most beautiful cities. If there are people who might not like it, it must be Nouvelle vague people. As they were experimenting with their own cinema, they decided to ignore what they called "cinema of quality". The best thing which has been portrayed in this film is that after the end of the war people lived happily. This is an indication of optimism in this film.

I saw this film on a high school French field trip to the French Institute in New York. I had heard good things, but I must say that this movie does have its good moments, but overall there is not much to be gained.Plot summary: Two men, a high-strung taxi driver and a smooth-talking painter, team up as an unlikely pair smuggling black market pig's meat in four suitcases across Paris to be sold for a large sum of money during the German occupation of France in WWII.The camera-work is generally excellent as well as the acting, especially Borville ( after all, they're French ) but the biggest problems are the minor details. There are a few scenes that leave you feeling that they could've been planned, executed, and/or edited more effectively. Then again, there are a few scenes that are excellently planned, executed, and/or edited effectively.Then there's the ending. Oi, if you thought The Return Of The King could've used some trimming, even if this ending is nowhere near as long, you'll know what needs to be removed when you see it. It's illogical, historically incorrect, and almost ridiculous. But it's French, so maybe it works.From a modern perspective, it's a difficult movie to connect with. Although it does function as a period film, much of its relevance to today is virtually nonexistent. And much of the dialogue is cut during the English subtitling, so unless you're fluent in French, it'll be difficult to pick up on certain details. Overall, it's not a bad movie by any means, but it does leave much to be desired.

With Bourvil, Jean Gabin and Louis de Funès, this movie almost had to be a good comedy. And it was funny. The three actors all give solid performances. The movie is about two guys (Bourvil and Gabin) who travel through Paris at night to deliver some black market meat during WWII.Out of 100, I gave it 73.