It is a good movie; I agree with that, but Jesus, I'll never get why so many people love this movie so much. I get it that maybe at the time it was something very unique, but it isn’t anymore, and I don’t think we should tame the time a movie was released that much into account. Most of you guys just love this because you wanna fuck Alain Delon. You ain’t tricking anyone. Cinematically, the movie is fucking gorgeous, especially the colors. It has visually, "Purple Noon" is a feast for the eyes, not only because of cinematography but also because the settings were really good looking, and I would kill to be there right now instead of rotting in a 40°C environment. The movie plays with lights and shadows combined with its sun-soaked landscapes; the movie feels very vivid. Although if it was gory, it would be so dark and twisted, enhancing the psychological and realism of this movie but also contributing to the overall mood of the film, reinforcing the psychological tension and elevating the storytelling through its visual artistry.
The movie is also surprisingly tense and way more intriguing than I was actually expecting. It’s very stylish, but that’s not all of it because it also knows how to create tension. I was already expected to be rooting for the main character. I kinda wasn’t, but still was tense during it. It’s the way it places its camera but also its violins in the fucking soundtrack that were busting my eardrums at random times. Alain Delon as Tom was really good in this. He’s a menace, though, and a clear psychopath if you couldn’t tell. The eye acting of his is very subtle, but the movie zooms into them to really show us how he is and what he is planning. He’s kinda unsettling because, at least, I was always feeling like I was watching Terminator trying to act like a human. It’s always clear he doesn’t feel anything; his dead eyes say it all. Delon really only shows emotion when the situation is about him, either it is beneficial and he is smiley or prejudicial and he starts to enter a very small and controlled panic, never over-exaggerates or with too much emotion.
Clément’s direction is marked by its elegant restraint and a focus on psychological tension rather than, you know, sex. The pacing is really good; I was interested during the movie, and if I wasn’t, the views and cinematography were really good. It seems like these movies always have so I would have that to distract me, and the pace still allows us to meet the characters fully, engage with them, get to know them better, and slowly unfold Ripley’s true facade until he snaps and, you know. I liked the first act better because Clément’s approach to Ripley was really being so subtle and emphasizing the character development over action. That kinda ends up falling off, though, and the film ends up kinda predictable. Plus, that ending was just so??? It should have ended earlier; the cliffhanger thing, at least for me, just felt really not needed in this and a dumb way to be one of those "art is subjective, create your own reality" movies. But the good thing is that those movies need it. This one doesn’t and could have just ended with him just chilling and getting a tan.
The influences of these movies are really clear, though. It has had a lasting impact on the psychological thriller genre and cinematic storytelling by being (or at least looks like) one of the first early entries of French New Wave movies, being a transition from old movies to that new wave thingy. It’s notable by the way it handles its characters, themes of identity and deception, and the visual storytelling rather than a more clear plot. It has inspired future character developments more noticeably in ambiguous protagonists rather than heroes that everyone loves. The movie gives him its flaws; I mean, he’s a fucking killer and just lets you choose to like him or hate him. For me, he was kinda meh. Like, yeah, he kills people, okay, but he was doing it to be rich. I mean, I would do that too. The stylish cinematography that VERY clearly captures the Mediterranean Sea (get me the fuck out of my apartment, please) has influenced the visual aesthetics of movies like "La Piscine," emphasizing the use of location and light to reflect psychological tension. Additionally, Alain Delon’s performance has been widely praised and emulated, solidifying his role as a key figure in the genre and contributing to the film's enduring legacy in both European and global cinema.
Overall, Purple Noon is a visually stunning film with very good cinematography and a tense, stylish narrative. I know its lasting impact on psychological thrillers and French New Wave cinema, but the love for this seems overstated today. The movie's focus on psychological tension and Alain Delon's unsettling performance are notable, but jesus fuck ending a few minutes earlier would have been better
