Antonius Block This movie feels a bit like 'Truffaut doing Hitchcock', which has its good points and bad points. On the positive side, it may surprise you with you with its twists and turns. Knowing absolutely nothing about it, I was intrigued by the first part, when a tobacco plantation owner on Reunion Island (Jean-Paul Belmondo) meets his fiancée (Catherine Deneuve) who he met and fell in love with through the mail, soon realizing that not is all as it seems. However, on the negative side (and without giving away the plot), as the movie went on, the actions of the characters (and Belmondo in particular) were not always believable. Even if you factor in love and physical attraction driving people to extremes, he's remarkably blasé about missing 27 million francs. It kept my interest and had some great shots by Truffaut, including a fantastic scene between Belmondo and Deneuve at a fireplace, but ends up 'good' and 'not great' as a result.

ags123 I like this movie despite its many flaws and would cautiously recommend it. Possibly because Deneuve and Belmondo are such an attractive couple it doesn't matter what they do. The first half of the film is a Hitchcockian thriller about deceit, greed, and obsession set against the exotic backdrop of Reunion Island. But the mystery is cleared up quickly and it becomes a rather unconvincing lovers-on-the-run drama, not unlike Belmondo's "Breathless." I found the ending to be a colossal letdown in light of everything leading up to it. This was Truffaut's second attempt at a "Hitchcock" movie, and I think "The Bride Wore Black" succeeds better than this one because Truffaut maintains the suspense throughout. It's also got the edge thanks to the Bernard Herrmann score. Had "Mississippi Mermaid" stuck to its roots as typically offbeat Cornell Woolrich pulp fiction it could have been great.

evening1 I didn't like this much because I couldn't respect the protagonist.Jean-Paul Belmondo has an incredible mug, somewhat of a hybrid of early Brando and Sylvester Stallone. However, his character seems to suffer from either profound mental retardation or suicidal denial.First Marion (Catherine Deneuve) rips him off for 28 million francs. Then he kills a PI to protect her from the cops and must go on the lam. Then his lady love tries to poison him with strychnine. Yet he still finds her adorable. And he doesn't question this because true amour is "difficult."Oh, give me a friggin' break! I'm surprised so exalted a director as Truffaut took this claptrap seriously.I read on Wikipedia that this is one of only three films ever shot in Reunion, a French overseas department off the eastern coast of Africa. I did enjoy some of the tropical scenes. But the characterizations in this film are insulting to anyone of normal intelligence. (Why, why, why would a gumshoe have been so trusting as to confront a shady customer in so confined a space? What WAS he thinking?) Given all the talent in this film, I'm surprised it was so dumb.

Lee Eisenberg Usually, when we hear about a Truffaut movie, we think of "The 400 Blows", "The Wild Child", or something similar. "Mississippi Mermaid" is a shocker in that respect. It wasn't a bad movie, but I didn't derive that it was actually trying to say anything. In some sense, it almost seemed like the sort of movie that they just made for fun (Truffaut wouldn't have done that, would he?). It focuses on Reunion resident Louis Mahe (Jean-Paul Belmondo) marrying Julie Roussel (Catherine Deneuve), who may or may not be what she seems.Anyway, it's okay just to watch, but I wouldn't make it my first choice. It's still surprising that Francois Truffaut did this.