Pickpocket (1959)
1959
NR
75 Minutes
Michel takes up pickpocketing on a lark and is arrested soon after. His mother dies shortly after his release, and despite the objections of his only friend, Jacques, and his mother's neighbor Jean...
User Review
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WHAT I LIKED: Robert Bresson's 'Pickpocket,' is about a thief (Martin LaSalle) who repeatedly convinces himself that his actions are totally acceptable. He argues to a Police Inspector that some people with exceptional skills should be exempt from the rule of law, he dismisses his mother's carer Jeanne's belief that God judges our sins, and he increasingly treats his compulsion to outsmart his victims and law enforcement as an artform to perfect. Yet, whenever he's challenged or accused of his true behaviours, he seems genuinely offended and shuts the conversation down.
Especially considering he's a relatively well-presented man who also dreams of being a writer, that makes for a pretty interesting character study, as you not only long to understand what really drives his habit; you also long for him to confront the reality of his actions.
Sadly though, even when he learns his mother knew he was stealing from her, he continues to insist that he's the victim and fails to acknowledge the conflict between how offended he is by the accusation he's a pickpocket, and the fact he really is one. Years later, we do get a glib semblance of honesty and regret when he promises Jeanne that he can "get an honest job," but even that isn't enough to stop his compulsions, as he offends again and winds up in a cell come the final frames.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Though he's always sort of a character playing a role to himself, Martin LaSalle's performance sometimes seems overly clunky and unconvincing, and his relationship with Jeanne never feels earned. The real frustration with the film though is that the story takes his character nowhere, so ultimately reveals little about him or his surrounding world.
VERDICT: 'Pickpocket,' is an interesting but ultimately frustrating character study about a thief who never wakes up to his delusions.0 member like this review.
