Capitaine Conan

Bertrand Tavernier's stunning film adaptation of Roger Vercel's novel chronicles the travails of a French commander at the end of World War I. The film begins amid the hurried chaos of trench warfare, much like All Quiet on the Western Front, before shifting to the suffocating bureaucracy of a military courtroom that's starkly reminiscent of Paths of Glory. And Tavernier's mini-epic is nearly on a par with Milestone's masterpiece, or Kubrick's.

The object of Vercel's ostensibly antiwar statement is Capitaine Conan (Philippe Torreton), the leader of a rogue guerrilla attack squad. Conan's methods are unconventional, and his soldiers, whom he refers to as warriors, are actually a troop of furloughed prisoners. The platoon delight in the bloodlust of battle, but when the war suddenly ends and they're relegated to police duty, frustrations arise. After a vicious raid on a Romanian night club, Conan's entourage becomes the target of a military court martial. As the brooding, mercurial leader, Torreton is utterly captivating, and the breathtaking cinematography by Alain Choquart makes brilliant use of the vast Baltic landscape. Once again, Tavernier (Round Midnight) proves he is France's least-known great director. At the Coolidge Corner.

-- Tom Meek