The gangster genre gets a Gallic polish

Although the gangster film came of age in America in the 1930s with such classics as “Public Enemy” with James Cagney, “Little Caesar” starring Edward G. Robinson, and Paul Muni in “Scarface,” the genre quickly made its way across the Atlantic when French filmmakers realized these provocative movies could easily be given a Gallic sensibility.

French cinema found its perfect gangster hero in tough-guy-with-a-heart Jean Gabin, who appeared in such films as “Pepe le Moko” and “Le Jour Se Leve.” Hollywood, in turn, took notice of what the French were doing and began remaking them as early as 1938, when producer Walter Wanger turned “Pepe le Moko” into “Algiers” with Charles Boyer.

In the 1950s, the French film magazine Cahiers du Cinema came up with the term cinema noir -- in English, film noir. Several Cahiers writers like Francois Truffaut (“Shoot the Piano Player”) and Jean-Luc Godard (“Breathless”) turned to the gangster film early in their directing careers.

Perhaps the greatest director of French gangster films was Jean-Pierre Melville, who crafted some of the best gangster films, including “Bob le Flambeur” (remade in English last year as “The Good Thief”), “Le Samourai” and “Le Cercle Rouge.”

The latest entry in the Gallic gangster tradition is “La Mentale/The Code,” which opens Friday in selected theaters. Starring Samy Naceri and Samuel Le Bihan, the contemporary tale examines the unspoken code of the underworld: Keep your mouth shut, protect your family and don’t be a traitor.

Naceri plays Dris, a French Arab just released from prison after serving four years who desires only to live his life in peace with his wife. But his friend and former partner now runs the mean streets and is adamant that Dris rejoin his former gang.

The film, which was released in France in 2002, was directed and co-written by Manuel Boursinhac. Bibi Naceri (the star’s brother) was the co-writer.

-- Susan King