Alfie, le drageur

Alfie is an exemplary selfish person who only uses those around him to satisfy his own needs and feelings while being indifferent to the problems of others. He expresses contempt for the opposite sex, with a sense of superiority and, above all, with maximum cynicism. He strictly follows the motto of having fun and pushing others away. If someone else has a different idea, it is their problem. Unlike the series Californication, this film looks critically at its protagonist and aims to reflect on his style and its consequences. On the other hand, it relies too much on the expected template of one-sided criticism, and its protagonist is too typical. Of course, there is also another side to the story. Of the women who have passed through his bed, I consider only the woman of his fellow patient at the hospital clinic as a victim. Unfortunately, that crowd of bored married ladies and naive fools also has a great deal of blame to bear. It is rather a reflection on the general state of family and sexual relationships in a modern consumer society. Some scenes, such as the pub brawl, which are presumably meant to lighten the film into purely comedic territory, did not fit in the movie, and certainly, more could have been done with the script. But thanks to Michael Caine in the lead role, I ultimately lean toward giving it 4 stars. Overall impression: 70%. (31/10/2011)

Alfie's a bastard. An egotistical jerk who's lucky to have Michael Caine's face. And this film is strange. You watch the main (anti) hero playing with women, i.e., he only needs them when it suits him, and he has no problem kicking one or the other of them out if he gets tired of them. He's just having fun. Alfie's story is a chilling conversation film that is not meant to enlighten the viewer, and it is up to everyone what they take from it. The biggest positive is of course Caine in the lead role, all the women are chosen accurately, the cinematography of Czech Otto Heller is nice. I also liked the lightness of the story - the moments when Alfie speaks to the camera directly to the audience ("Have you all settled in yet? Now you're probably waiting for long, stupid headlines. There won't be any."). Four and a half. (06/06/2010)