Wicked Games is a Blu-ray box set bringing together three films helmed by Paris-born actor-turned-director Robert Hossein. The films date from between the late 50's and early 60's- moving from a prison drama/ escape thriller/noir. Onto mystery-centred noir, with a femme fatale focus, and ahead of its time, moody western. Each picture receives a 2k scan, a commentary track from highly respected genre commentator Tim Lucas, and a selection of other extras- be they new or old.

Robert Hossein (birth name Robert Hosseinoff) was born in Paris in 1927- he was the son of orchestra conductor André Hossein. Between the late 1940s and early 2020’s, he had an impressive one hundred and nineteen acting credits to his name. He started directing in 1955, going on to helm twenty-five credits, taking in sixteen feature films and nine TV movies. His feature directorial credits included Spy drama Double Agents (1956), The Secret Killer ( 1965) biopic of German Serial Killer Peter Kurten, spaghetti western Cemetery Without Crosses (1969), and French literary classic adaptation Les Misérables (1982).

First up, we have 1955’s The Wicked Go to Hell (Les Salauds Vont En Enfer)- this was Hossein's directorial debut, and it shifts from a prison drama/ escape thriller to a beach-set noir.

After the effective marching prisoners around a symmetrical atrium, opening credits. We get an off-screen guillotine death, and find out one of the jail's key inmates has been put to death after someone snitched on him. And in a rather neat/ original bashed out Morse code on prison bed scene, we find out that it’s either one or two men who is the snitch- brutish & brash Pierre Macquart (Henri Vidal), or all the smaller, more thoughtful Rudel (Serge Reggiani)- the men are cell mates.

As the word spread, the pairs live are made very difficult- from integration while kneeling on rocks, to beatings & belittling.  We have Hossein playing a believable key thug, who puts out a lot of the punishment.

The pair escapes in a rather tense sneaking around scene, making their way out of the built-up area and into the countryside. They end up on an isolated beach, where a painter and his girlfriend Eva (Marina Vlady) live- he’s taken out in a rather overacted death scene, leaving the two escape prisoners with Eva.

The rest of the film plays out as a beach-set noir, with the friendship of the criminals being tested, as Eva plays the long game.

As debut films go, The Wicked Go to Hell certainly has its pluses with some original touches added into both the prison & beach set elements, with some decent acting from the likes of Vlady and Hossein. Though there are also negatives too- there is an overuse of ill-fitting, overly dramatic orchestral cues, which sound like they should be scoring The Charge of the Light Brigade. And the two leads offer up decidedly uneven acting- shifting between rather flat and bland, to quite believable emotional.

Extras-wise, on this disc, we have a commentary track from Tim Lucas. He starts off touching on the play, then the book that the film was based on. We find out the film opened in provincial France in September 1955, going on to show countrywide in Feb 1956. He touches on the prison location, which apparently shut down in 1939. He talks about Hossein's small role as a memorable alpha male character. He compares the novel to the film, and he talks about the play version that was staged at the infamous/notorious Grand Guignol, which, of course, is most known for its violent/ gory performances. He touches on the use of feet in two of the film's scenes. He gives bios of bit part actors as they appear, as well as the film's camera and editor. Later on, he touches on the film's poster, and how cold it was when the film was shot. He quotes reviews of the time, and of course, much more.

Otherwise, there are the following new extras- Picking Strawberries (14.52)  ‘making of’ featurette with historian Lucas Balbo, featuring archive interviews with Hossein and Jean Rollin. Behind Marked Eyes: The Cinematic Stare of Robert Hossein (27.07) a featurette by Howard S. Berger about Hossein and his work

The second film here is 1958’s Nude In A White Car (aka Toi... Le Venin,  Blonde in a White Car, Night Is Not for Sleep).  This was Hossein's third feature, and it sees him in the lead/starring role. The film is a mystery-centred noir, with a femme fatale focus.

The monochrome film opens with a set shot of a nighttime beach, as the lightly jiving and tuneful jazz score plays. In time, we see a cigarette-smoking, grey-suited, and black-tied figure appear- this is the film's lead character, Pierre Menda (Hossein).

Just as he steps off the beach onto the pavement, a white convertible with its roof up draws up alongside him. The in-shadow female figure asks him the way to Niece- he points off down the road, she thanks him & asks if he wants a lift, he says no. But she pushes, and in the end, he gets in the car.

Instead of driving to Niece, she takes him to a wooded area- uncovers her bare breasts, and puts on the radio, which is playing more upbeat/ jiving jazz. The pair clearly make out, but all of a sudden she says she has to go- silence the radio, initially he refuses to get out- she pulls out a pistol- he gets out, and just before she drives off, she swerves towards him- nearly knocking him down, just as she pulls away, he gets her number plate.

We find out soon enough that Pierre was the host of a cancelled TV poetry show, and he’s living in a hotel where he keeps adding to his tab- but never paying. He decides to see if he can locate the car and gets an address- it’s a grand house near the beach, with a full-time maid and gardener.

Living in the house are two blond sisters- the seemingly prim & proper, smartly dressed, with hair put up Hélène (Odile Versois). And her younger, vivacious, if at times curt/ snappy sister Eva (Marina Vlady), who has been wheelchair-bound since childhood. Neither woman seemingly match for the woman that picked him up, but he is determined to find out who she was.

Over the film's just over one-and-a-half-hour runtime, the mystery of the woman keeps you watching, as we get a side plot about a record shop the sisters have set up, and you guessed it, they play a lot of jiving/ tuneful jazz.

There’s no doubt Hossein has screen presence, and he sells his character well. So do both of the female leads- coming across as believable sisters. There are a few other characters/ locations, but mainly it’s just the three in the house.

After the brief/ surprising early nudity, the film switches to being fair PG. But the sense of mystery and noir moodiness is always nearby. Nude In A White Car is a real step up from Hossein's debut, with him becoming a more self-assured director, and aside from a few pacing issues towards the end, Nude In A White Car is a compelling noir.

Extra wise, we have once again a commentary track from Mr Lucas. He starts off by declaring that this is one of Hossein's key films, and it made him fall in love with the directors/actors' work. He discusses the film Irresistible Jazz lead theme, which apparently became quite popular, with a few people covering it. We find out the film was shot on location & a soundstage in Nice in May 1958. He touches on the brief flash of nudity in the film, which at the time was quite risky, and this was played on in the US release of the picture. He gives us bios for the actors as they appeared, and touches on how reviewers of the time couldn’t tell the difference between the two actresses. He talks about how the film was a step up from his first film, but the two are alike. Later on, he points out creepy & unsettling moments in the movie.  He points bit part actors, and some of the less believable elements of the plot.

Otherwise on the extra side there’s the new The Evolution of the Femme Fatale in Classic French Cinema (15.39) A visual essay by critic Samm Deighan. And a 2014 archive interview with actor Marina Vlady (8.34)

The Taste Of Violence was the sixth film directed by Robert Hossein, and it appeared in the year 1961. It was very much a change of setting/ genre from the other two films on the set- it’s a moody western, filmed in the ragged and wild landscapes of Serbia and Montenegro, which are meant to be a Latin American country.

The film has been called a spaghetti western, and I guess you could say it’s a proto-example of this genre, with noir-like moodiness woven in.  The film regards the kidnapping of Maria (Giovanna Ralli), the dark-haired & beautiful daughter of a dictator, with her being taken across the ragged and dangerous landscape, after a train been held up, and the on-board soldiers executed.

Transporting Maria, we have the moustached revolutionary leader Perez (Hossein), heavier set/ untrustworthy from the start Chamaco (Mario Adorf), and raggedly stubbled/ fallen for their captive Chico (Hans H. Neubert).

The film runs at the one hour and twenty-five-minute mark, and aside from a few tense moments, is a slow-paced yet oddly captivating affair, focusing on themes like brief in a cause, following orders, and the deviousness of human nature.

As the film unfolds, the trio encounter: cruel & stern-faced government soldiers, silent zombie-like villages who just won't stop following, amassed riverside soldiers, distrust and doubt within their own number, and early morning walks though quite towns hung with traitors.

All four of the main cast are perfectly picked, with drama and interaction between them being most engaging.  Once again, Hossein has such a screen presence.

The film's moodiness is added to by the haunting/ mellow score, which utilises a few Mexican-sounding strummed acoustic guitars, male singing, and light touches of horn work. Simply put The Taste Of Violence is a great film.

 Extras on this disc include, once again a commentary track from Mr Lucas.  He starts by declaring that this is Hossein's masterpiece, and one of the early examples of what would become known as the spaghetti western. He touches on the two films that appeared between Nude In A White Car and the film to hand. He talks about the film’s supposed setting/ time, and says it has no real historical grounding. He chats about the film's score, and we find out it got released as six track EP. He gives informative/ often interesting in-depth bios as actors appear on screen. We find out that as a child, Hossein saw lots of Westerns and counted it as one of his favourite genres. We find out the film was shot in what was then known as Yugoslavia, discussing buildings/ locations as they appear. He talks about each of the three men's characters and points out not-so-obvious moments of stage shooting. Later on, he chats about how Hossein is constantly deflecting away from anything action-wise in the film. He talks about plot line elements which may have been cut from the film & why. We find out the film was shot in Jan of 1961- going on to show in cinemas around Europe that summer.

Otherwise, we have two other new interviews- The Taste of Violence appreciation by filmmaker and Western authority Alex Cox (7.00). author C. Courtney Joyner on The Taste of Violence and the Zapata Western subgenre (26.24)

The release comes with a forty-page monochrome inlay booklet- this takes in cast & crew details for each film. A new sixteen-page article about the director/ actor, Robert Hossien’s Is Cinema Of Reluctance, by Walter Chaw.   Three archive articles dating from between the 50’s and the early 2000’s, transfer notes/ credits, and of course a good selection of stills from the films.

Wicked Games is another nicely put-together and well-presented box set from the folks at Radiance. With lovely crisp and clean monochrome prints for each film, informative/ interesting commentary tracks from Mr  Lucas, and rewarding new/ archive extras. Robert Hossein was both a talented director and a versatile actor, and this set has certainly whetted my appetite to dig deeper into his filmography.