The Human Beast

The story itself is good; after all, it's essentially a French classic, but in this rendition, it's excellent mainly due to the actors who have come together for it. Jean Gabin is one of the best French actors, and this is a film that proves it quite nicely. Even though it may seem like an ordinary railroad tale at first glance, it's the human element that takes center stage here. (2017-05-02)

This is one of those films for nostalgics who feel obliged to give a higher number of stars than would correspond to their subjective feeling about the film. It's simply a classic. The famous book by Zola, the famous director Renoir, and the legendary Jean Gabin in the lead role. However, I won't deny that I was bored while watching and even dozed off several times. So yes, the film certainly has a lot to offer to admirers of film classics, those who diligently visit film clubs to fill in the gaps in their quest to map out world cinema. It will definitely please those who are professionally involved in cinema, as well as film critics who can extensively praise the work of the camera and other film professions, but as a viewer, the film simply did not captivate me. Nowadays, we have a different film pace, movies are more civil without pathos and theatrical poses in actors' performances, and perhaps the source material and genre are to blame from my perspective. Overall impression: 45%. (2011-06-11)