Osterman week-end

C’est la supercool affiche américaine qui m’a poussé à voir Osterman week-end, même si je ne savais absolument pas à quoi m’attendre. Et je comprends tout à fait pourquoi le dernier opus de Sam Peckinpah a été reçu avec tant de disparités. C’est que l’aspect chaotique de la production que le tournage a entraîné a laissé des séquelles – mais moi, ça ne m’empêche pas de l’apprécier. Le scénario et la gradation de l’intrigue fonctionnent, la musique de Lalo Schifrin plaît et la distribution est très intéressante : John Hurt se dépasse, Craig T. Nelson surprend et Dennis Hopper, habituellement excentrique, hérite cette fois-ci du rôle le plus réservé. Et, dès le moment où est survenue l’action filmée au ralenti typique de Peckinpah, mes yeux étaient rivés à l’écran. Ça m’a énormément rappelé le style de Michael Mann ! Bien sûr, Osterman week-end aurait pu être encore meilleur (on peut imaginer ce que ça aurait donné si le réalisateur n’avait pas été congédié avant le montage), mais je trouve malgré tout que ce thriller est intéressant et mériterait plus d’attention. Très correct pour la dernière œuvre d’un grand réalisateur. (12/09/2018)

“The truth is just a lie that hasn’t been found out." Peckinpah’s last picture is kind of weird. Apart from his “trademark" slow-motion sequences, nothing else here contains his signature. The fact that he chose to adapt this political espionage novel by Robert Ludlum is fairly surprising. However B-movie standard it might be today, at the time of its release the cast was still quality. Although none of them gives a star performance. And, as usual, he is in a role that just makes up the numbers. Up until the scene in front of the refrigerator, this is basically a good, regular movie, but no miracle. But then it becomes sort of... Sort of weird. And the guaranteed to irritate, incredibly badly used typical eighties music wrecks the overall impression. The overall impression I get is rather puzzling. A sort of B-movie that isn’t a B-movie at all. The Osterman Weekend is neither good, bad or even average. Nothing that you would remember or go back to watch again, while still it leaves some impression on you. It’s simply weird. (04/01/2008)

Sam Peckinpah's farewell to (not only) the film world was quite successful. Despite the fact that the subject matter of The Osterman Weekend really seems like a revelation in relation to his previous work, the result is in many ways a typical Peckinpah film. I liked the plot, the unpredictable atmosphere of the "pulling of the strings" was properly thick, Rutger Hauer was top-notch, as was John Hurt and others... Yet the highlight - actually several highlights - of the film are the (story and non-story, twists and non-twists, paranoia and non-paranoia) action scenes. The director didn't let himself be shamed by creating a top-notch car chase and a duel with a baseball bat that made sure that I didn’t blink even once. What about the end of the film? It was more than good. I think that Sam Peckinpah has very skilfully translated for us what Robert Ludlum wanted to say. And not just on the level of a deathly ill, drink and drug-addled man. (10/12/2013)