Sadly the reviewer did not watch properly the movie : 1. Noiret/Dandieu does not arrive "just in time" to see his family killed : he imagineswhat has happened (perhaps one or two days before; unclear).2. The girl is his daughter; not Romy/Clara's I did not plan to write more but I am forced to write at least 1O lines (silly rule).This is a movie I first saw when I was 12 or 13.It made a lasting impression on me.I love its pace, the acting (Noiret in particular), Romy's beauty, charm and accent.And the music by François de Roubaix.

Someone said this to be the French 'Straw dogs', and so I got interested. There are some similarities, especially the revenge motif, but other than that, 'Le vieux fusil' is quite a unique film on its own.Philippe Noiret is perfect to play the this character, who becomes instantly obsessed with revenge after he finds his wife raped (this is shown in a flashback, but his character can only guess) and burnt alive with a flame thrower, and his daughter shot in the back. His character, Julien, is a respected doctor who tries to go on with his life in spite of the war, even joking about a nurse's sex life and not putting up much of a fight when the enemy comes into his hospital to take some suspects away - what could he do?Well, what he could do, we see later on, but only when his close family is involved. Like a trained soldier, he works out a plan in which he continuously manages to keep the upper hand over the Germans, who at some point are sure they are surrounded by many Partisans - his extensive knowledge of the castle and its architectural secrets being his great advantage.The film switches back and forth between sweet and sour memories of Julien, his wife and his daughter, and the brutal attacks he embarks upon to exact revenge - in the end it becomes clear how much he lost his mind. It did go back and forth a little too much for my taste, but it's still a pretty unique and intense piece of film, immersed in blood, sweat and tears.8 out of 10.

Moving, thrilling, upsetting, The Old Gun is a piece of art with beautiful performances. I love the pace, which adds to the suspense and helps the viewer empathize with the main character, played by Philippe Noiret who slowly becomes the people who he is chasing. Above all, a beautiful love story that take place at the wrong time and the wrong place. If you are interested in movies that star the icon Philippe Noiret, that most people would know from the Italian classic cinema Paradiso, then you should watch some of his earlier work like this French master piece. The scene that really defines this intense movie is when Philippe Noiret kills a German officer from the other side of a mirror. it's an example of how this film is a piece of pure cinema and the dialogue kept to a minimum.

> This is where we may wonder why it has taken so much to rouse this peaceful man; Everybody has his own threshold of awakening; and this film is actually the story of awakening - this is why the whole first part showing his peaceful life, even during the war, up until he is led to his threshold, and so the contrast between that and merciful killer that he becomes, becomes even more powerful.> The next question we find ourselves asking is why he is content to go up against men armed with pistols, rifles,machine guns, grenades and flame-throwers with only a shotgun rather than picking off one man and appropriating his weaponry.The best weapon is the weapon you are used to, the weapon you trust. Plus, this old gun together with the old castle and their old owner, become one collective weapon against the invaders. Not wise to take one piece out.