听 
It's not often you can announce that the ending of a film is several shades greyer than the more fixed ending of the book on which it is based. But this is one of the many plus points in a picture which is the latest (of many) adaptations of Herman Melville's novella "Billy Budd, Sailor," a source which has attracted directors for years.
In the hands of Claire Denis, the story becomes the screen equivalent of a strong, colourful dream, aided by only the occasional intrusion of dialogue and by the fact that the plot is the least of her concerns, yet the film gains weight from a solid emotional core. This is the tale of Sergeant Major Galoup (Denis Lavant) during his days in the Foreign Legion at a remote garrison in East Africa, where his close relationship with his commander (Michel Subor) is no longer a sure thing after the arrival of new soldier Sentain (Gr茅goire Colin). The commander takes an interest in the newcomer, and Galoup's jealousy becomes a dark, destructive force, resulting in him piling all sorts of chores on to the hapless Sentain, a man who - unfortunately for Galoup - is also popular with the others. The result of the sergeant's obsession is particularly nasty, resulting in his dismissal from the Legion. He now looks back.
Lavant makes magnetic a man who sits squarely on his own emotions, and his passion is often set powerfully at odds with the dryness of the soldiers' rituals. Denis' choice of dramatic, but never empty, imagery and good, supportive music complete this unusual class act.
