Overrated

Lack of good storyline.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

This early 1980s Alain Delon vehicle is probably indistinguishable from most of the other films he was making around the same period. It does have some sudden bursts of violence, a well-done car chase where Delon drives on the wrong side of the freeway, a reasonable amount of humor (when Delon lets out a cry of pain while having his bullet wound treated, he is told that Belmondo's reaction in the same spot would be manlier!), and an offbeat soundtrack. But the plot is boring and the running time is too long. Anne Parrilaud (the future original "Nikita") has one of her earliest roles here, but there's nothing special about her character, except maybe for the fact that she's a film buff. She does have one fully nude scene, but the circumstances of it are unerotic. ** out of 4.

Sometimes we need to get reminded that even cheaply produced movies can be great fun. Alain Delon's Director Debut here comes as a thirteen in a dozen French "policier" flick. The difference is that the actors are obviously having great fun on the set while the movie is presented with a well mixed variety of Violence, fun and some smart lines. Alain Delon is cool on camera and even behind the camera. A smart fun but further unmemorable film. Alain continued to direct his next to films as well (although only credited for le battant).Pour la peau d'un flic is an inseparable part of my Delon movie collection.

French cinema of nineteen eighties was known for its numerous popular films which gave a new dimension to box office collections."Pour La Peau D'Un Flic" is one such film which is not so much known by ordinary film viewers both in France and elsewhere.This might have something to do with the manner in which this film was distributed. It is sure that loyal Alain Delon fans would be aware that this film marked the beginning of his directorial career in 1981.Alain Delon gives one of his career's finest performances as a detective who would go to any length in order to bring cold blooded criminals to justice.As a film director he has not fought shy of portraying what ails police forces in France.In "Pour La Peau D'Un Flic",policemen are shown as real human beings with their fair share of weaknesses.Alain Delon's acting performance has too many shades of similarities with American actor Al Pacino although it would be politically incorrect to suggest such a comparison.This is a good film for all those people who would like to see Alain Delon both as an actor as well as a director in a same film.

Despite some extreme violence (shootings at close range, rape of one of the main characters), there is a surprising amount of humor in this picture. I wonder if this was Delon's way of moving away from the sometimes humorless approach taken in his films with J-P Melville. It also features a nice performance by a very young Anne Parillaud.