Directed by Maurice Labro; produced by Francois Chavane
Paul Lamiani (Lino Ventura) is a former criminal, former convict and former fighter in the French Resistance during World War Two. Fourteen years after the end of the war, he is contacted by an old associate (François Chaumette), now a member of the DST, France’s security service. Lamiani is coerced into joining the criminal - and traitorous - organisation run by a former friend of his gangster days, Raymond Maroux (Paul Frankeur), in order to break it up from within. But what he doesn’t know is that Maroux has other enemies within his group. Soon double cross follows on double cross, and Lamiani will be lucky to escape alive.
The Beast is Loose is one of the movies that put Lino Ventura firmly in the leading man category, after several years of supporting - though always prominent - roles. One can see why he was able to secure stardom so quickly, as his acting in this film is both convincing and involving. Interestingly, he often played villains, as well as heroes, and was respected by critics and audiences in both parts.
Lamiani is initially seen as a quiet man, who prefers to talk his way out of bad situations. His past, however, suggests that there is more to his personality, and by the film’s end, provocations are such that another side is brought out. This duality is both persuasive and intriguing, since one is not quite sure what he will do under different conditions. The other performers are good, too, though they don’t have the chance for much range, except for Frankeur. Nadine Alari, who plays Lamiani's wife, was also a voice actress, providing French-language dubbing for movies from Some Like It Hot (1959) to Spectre (2015).
The direction is the other half of the appeal for The Beast is Loose. Use is effectively made of the settings, especially the cliffs of Normandy, where an exciting chase takes place in and under an old war-time bunker. Shoot-outs and fist-fights also feature strikingly, as one might expect, and are handled excitingly.
The story is adequate. The plot threatens to become too convoluted at times, and, in the end, becomes, paradoxically, rather simple. Nonetheless, it serves the movie well enough and, with other elements in its favour, The Beast is Loose works.
Interestingly, it is an early example of treating government operators and organisations cynically, showing them to be as ruthless as the villains they are going after. Perhaps this was a result of the complex situation in France after the war, when those who fought the German occupation had to live side by side with those who collaborated.
On the strength of Ventura’s performance, and the complementary direction, The Beast is Loose is an entertaining crime drama. (Ventura was an interesting man off-screen, too, if only for the fact that, though almost all his movies were French, his nationality, never surrendered, was Italian, yet he was rated by the French as one of the greatest Frenchmen. He was also a philanthropist; his wife and he being pioneers in charitable work for mentally disabled people.)
