Subway (1985)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Notes from Underground

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Luc Besson's second feature, the French-language Subway, opens on a car chase. Fred (Christopher Lambert) fumbles with a cassette tape while trying to outrun a car full of thugs. He's wearing a tuxedo, and his hair is spiky and blonde, like Billy Idol or Sting's. He gets the tape to play, and he smiles in triumph, hitting the gas. It's a pretty cool opening for a pretty cool movie, an example of the French Cinéma du look movement. We learn later that Fred was invited to a party at the home of beautiful Héléna Kerman (Isabelle Adjani), where he blew up her safe and stole some documents. He hides in the subway and arranges to meet Héléna to trade the documents for cash. (He also professes his love for her.) Meanwhile, he meets the denizens of the subway, people that live in the empty spaces below. There's The Roller (Jean-Hugues Anglade), a thief that snatches personal belongings and skates away before anyone can catch him. There's The Florist (Richard Bohringer), who helps Fred hide his documents in his box of bouquets. There's The Drummer (Jean Reno), who, yes, taps on every surface with drumsticks. Grumpy, rumpled Commissioner Gesberg (Michel Galabru) tries to catch these outcasts with the help of Inspectors "Batman" and "Robin." Oh, and Fred also tries to start a band. Composer Eric Serra plays a bass player with Ric Ocasek-like sunglasses on all the time. Besson's camera makes all kinds of amazing pictures out of the nooks and crannies of the subway system. What does it add up to? Who knows? But it's fun to watch!