Second Wind 4K 1966 Ultra HD 2160p

In keeping with the conventions of the genre, the plot of “Second Wind” centers on one last job before retiring from the game—Gy, a crime boss who has served 16 years in prison, successfully escapes from jail. The entire French police force is hot on his heels, and since he doesn’t have the money to flee to Italy, he agrees to a risky heist targeting cash transporters carrying platinum bars. As if to make matters worse, Joe Ricci—the crime boss who once set Gyu up—is involved in the heist. The masterfully filmed heist is just a small part of this monumental 2.5-hour black-and-white noir film about loneliness in the criminal underworld.

User Review

A very solid and powerful crime thriller. The film explores the concepts of morality and honor, even within the criminal underworld. From the very first scenes, you find yourself rooting for Gus, played by the charismatic and inimitable Lino Ventura.

Gus is a hardened criminal who has escaped from prison, yet he has his own code of conduct and his own sense of honor. And he pays for them with his life. “An honest gangster”—as paradoxical as that phrase may sound—is the phrase that most accurately captures his character.

The direction is very strong—although the film is long, every single frame is absolutely essential; you simply can’t take your eyes off the screen. Though this comes as no surprise—Melville’s name speaks for itself (just look at his *Samurai* with Delon!).

All in all, I definitely recommend watching it!

P.S. By the way, the 2007 remake of this film with the same title, starring Daniel Auteuil as Gus, is actually quite good. I was very pleasantly surprised when I watched it.

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (80.7 Mb/s)
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1

Info Audio

#French: Dolby Digital 1.0
#French: Dolby Digital 1.0 (Commentary by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau, author of Jean-Pierre Melville: An American in Paris, and film critic Geoff Andrew of the British Film Institute)

Info Subtitles