Blu-ray Review – Breathless (1983)

1983's "Breathless" is hobbled before it even has a chance to show its stuff, emerging as a remake of an adored and influential 1960 Jean-Luc Godard film. One could argue that a second bite of the apple wasn't necessary, but screenwriters L.M. Kit Carson and Jim McBride (who also directs) bravely march forward with their take, which aims to provide a more manic understanding of behavior and lovesick psychology. The remake goes bigger and bolder in many respects, working to bring the central story into the 1980s, blending elements of rock and roll, comic books, and crime into a character study that's entirely dependent on the acting chops of its two leads, Richard Gere and Valerie Kaprisky. Such thespian might is open for discussion in "Breathless," which carries appreciable energy from McBride, who's aiming for something weird and itchy with the feature, putting a little too much faith in the actors, who seem very self-conscious in any moment that doesn't require them to be naked. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com