On paper this movie probably sounds like a very odd and boring movie. And it also is being quite simplistic and minimalistic with about everything but the movie is never boring to watch. Through its mood and atmosphere this actually becomes a quite fascinating watch! This is a very quiet movie, literally. It prefers images over dialog but that doesn't mean that the movie doesn't feature a clear story. Everything is easy to understand and follow and you really can't call this movie a pretentious one, even though it has all of those ingredients in it. Its quite an accomplishment how this movie manages to create a certain mood and atmosphere for the movie and tells its story mostly trough just that. You understand what the characters are going through and what they feel and what they must be thinking, even though they don't express it verbally.It's also one of those movies most people will get different things out off. For me it was a movie about contrasts. Here we have a macho like movie, with macho characters, doing tough things but yet the movie, with all of its themes, is very gentle and about feelings and emotions, which you wouldn't expect in a macho like movie. It keeps things interesting to watch, even when there isn't an awful lot going on, on screen. It's also because even though that the movie is slow and quiet there still is a constant undertone of tension throughout the movie. It makes it also feel like something could happen at any moment in it and things could go terrible wrong, or people might snap at any moment in it.Basically its a very well made that got beautifully and effectively directed by Claire Denis. It gets you involved and the calm, slow approach of the movie works really suiting, which draws you into the movie even more. 8/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

claire denis portrays the French Foreign Legion from a feminine viewpoint. the result is a beautiful, sensual, almost sexy movie, i especially liked the way the bodies of the men were depicted. it is absolutely necessary to watch this movie in the cinema, on the small screen it loses its most important factor, that is the visual aspect. the dancing is poetic, but not at all realistic. the degree of artistic abstraction concerning the army leads to some irritation for some people which have actually been to the army, because they know that it is far from reality. the problem altogether is that beau travail is probably not going to make a lasting impression on most people, because it plays with superficial emotions.

Introspective and subtle, Claire Denis' BEAU TRAVAIL offers a modern retelling of Herman Melville's BILLY BUDD, transposing the tale of an officer who self-destructs through his jealousy of a new recruit to an outpost of the French Foreign Legion. And although the film is elegant in both its simplicity and purity, I myself found it a shade too simple and pure to be completely effective.Still, BEAU TRAVAIL has two things going for it: director Denis' cinematic eye and superior performances throughout. One truly senses the location in all its elemental nature, and the cinematography is remarkable for its restrained elegance. The cast follows suit, with direct and underplayed performances that fold seamlessly into both Denis' atmosphere and the story itself, and the result is often quite stylish.But for all its elegance and style, I found BEAU TRAVAIL too introspective and subtle for its own good; to me it lacks any significant substance, with both story and characters slipping through my attention as easily as sand slips through my hand. While this is doubtlessly part of director Denis' intent, and while I have admired many a film with a notably elusive touch, my ultimate reaction to BEAU TRAVAIL is that it is a rather superficial exercise in style over substance, and I cannot say that it leads me to interest in the director's other work.In passing, I also note that BEAU TRAVAIL is often marketed as a film with homoerotic context and imagery, but I personally did not find it so. Final word: worth a look, but not greatly memorable for all that.Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

... but I guess I'd like it like other very personal Claire Denis movies. Mauvais Sang from Leos Carax and with Denis Lavant is also a personal favorite and I've seen it quoted somewhere. Just because a movie is stylish doesn't mean it's bad. Unstylish movies? Lots of them... Claire Denis succeeds in creating a very personal climax that makes for movies to be remembered long after you've seen them. Beau Travail would translate literally as "Beautiful Work" but I think the best translation would be "Nice Job" as in "You did a nice job, here". With the ambiguity of job meaning both work and occupation. I don't think "Good Work" is a proper translation like I've seen here and there.