The Moon in the Gutter

French director Jean-Jacques Beineix followed up his wildly successful debut feature, Diva, with this even more stylized exercise in neon noir, based on the titular novel by American pulp writer David Goodis. The 1983 film stars Gérard Depardieu as Gérard, a dockworker in Marseilles haunted by the murder of his sister (he obsessively returns to the scene of the crime). Nastassja Kinski is Loretta, a mystery woman who drives into his life in a red convertible—just like the femme fatale of the film noir classics that Beineix tries to evoke here using a modern color palette. While it's a beautiful movie—this Blu-ray debut looks stunning—The Moon in the Gutter is, unfortunately, all style and no suspense (or even tension), a genre exercise more concerned with exquisite art direction and gorgeous cinematography than character or story. Still, although far from Beineix's best work, it does boast some amazing visual notes. Extras include Mr. Michel's Dog, Beineix's 1977first short film; a video interview with Beineix; and a photo gallery. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)