Such actors as Lou de Laage and Melvil Poupaud are so strong and convincing they deserve a more successful artwork to be in than Woody Allen‘s Coup de Chance (Stroke of Luck, 2023). The criticisms of Armond White about the film are spot-on: “Allen still excuses infidelity as no big deal,” the infidelity being that of de Laage’s Fanny. And he knows how woefully bad Allen’s plot is.

I, furthermore, wish to add that the film is philosophically fatuous (and boring). After all these years, Allen should be a somewhat better writer than he is. Blue Jasmine should have inspired him into deeper study and effort. But no. The French-made Coup de Chance is the one of the weakest French-made movies I have seen.

(In French with English subtitles)

In The Prowler (1951), a nonexistent prowler is the fulcrum of the arrest and trial of Webb, a police officer (not a good man), and his peculiar marriage to Susan. Director Joseph Losey had a riveting crime drama in this item, wherein Van Heflin enacts Webb knowingly and authoritatively. As his new wife, Evelyn Keyes is a largely sympathy-winning jewel, overplaying and underplaying nothing. Intense and filler-free, this is one of the few Losey movies I’ve been able to see. As with The Go-Between, he had good material to film.

Strongly in favor of religious liberty and even a morally right distribution of government funds, God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust (2024) follows the Rev. David Hill (David A.R. White), recruited by a former political consultant named Lottie (Samaire Armstrong), as he runs for a Congressional seat. His opponent is Peter Kane (Ray Wise), a vain liberal secularist. With a big advantage or two going to Kane, the race is very bumpy, often vexing for the pastor and Lottie and, yes, even Kane. The director is Vance Hull, who does palatable work; it’s too bad he’s directing a screenplay (by Tommy Blaze) that turns feeble.

A man as averse to religion as Kane would not win massive approval. Those scores of Christians to whom the movie refers, who fail to vote, would be motivated to vote against him. Numerous Christian Democrats would dislike him. What’s more, the false information about Kane that Lottie wishes to use against him would not have emanated from Dean Cain‘s Marc Shelley, the man who is financing Hill’s campaign. He would have considered it too risky.

Speaking of Cain, I wish we could see more of him in the film. He is smoothly compelling. At least Armstrong and Wise, who are lively and perceptive, have a lot of screen time. But my preference is for God’s Not Dead 2. And exactly what is wrong with the pastor’s tie, Lottie?