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Courtesy of French distribs Gaumont. English-friendly, Region Free. Available now.
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Variety:
Quote:
Down-and-dirty politics at Paris police headquarters lead to extremely dark places in "36 Quai des Orfevres," a sort of modern "The Count of Monte Cristo" by way of Michael Mann's "Heat." Stylish, relentlessly moody cop saga benefits from crackerjack scripting, intriguing motivations and excellent performances. International auds should gladly surrender their time for a gritty, intricate tale whose seeming loose ends are cauterized with elegance and heft. Local notices have been glowing, with biz brisk since release Nov. 24.
Senior police officer Robert Mancini (Andre Dussollier) is about to retire and there are two equally qualified candidates who could take his place: Leo Vrinks (Daniel Auteuil) and Denis Klein (Gerard Depardieu), each in charge of an important plainclothes division. In recent months, a gang has been attacking armored cars in and around Paris and killing the drivers. Mancini says whoever nails the perps before they attack again will get his job.
Leo and Denis were once friends, but Denis' ambition -- and immoderate drinking -- has created a rift. Both men are married, have nice homes, and are driven by their work.
Leo is nuts about his wife, Camille (Valeria Golino), and their 11-year-old daughter, Lola (Solene Biasch). He spares Camille the details of his sometimes unsavory job. But one detail -- and Leo's code of honor -- will ricochet through both their lives for years to come, as Denis sees an unscrupulous way to railroad his rival.
Drawing heavily on actual events of the mid-'80s, former cop Olivier Marchal has fashioned a pic that, with its bloody shootouts and heartbreaking betrayals, depicts police work as a risky profession in which loyalty and experience can sometimes, though not always, trump bad luck. Every action sequence is more than matched by the bloodless, chess-like maneuvering of foes and allies, setting the bar high for subsequent Gallic police dramas.
As both men cope with tragedy, Auteuil gets way more screen time and makes the most of it. But Depardieu's haunting perf -- arguably one of his best ever -- is a mantle of sorrow kept at bay by the perceived compensations of power.
Supporting cast is aces, with special praise for Francis Renaud and Catherine Marchal as youngish cops who, like their boss Leo, find it nearly impossible to compromise their integrity. Roschdy Zem shines as an informer who's no dope.
Slick, evocative widescreen lensing emphasizes steely blues and grays, and extreme close-ups of aging thesps are warts and all (and then some). Pic's carpet of ominous music falls just short of going over the top.
Pro-B
Last edited by pro-bassoonist; 02-14-2011 at 07:00 PM.
I just received this title and MR73 from amazon.fr and the packaging is a thin fold-out cardboard case wrapped around a plastic disc holder. Is it supposed to be like that or do these also come in standard Blu-ray cases? Are all French BDs packaged like this?
I just received this title and MR73 from amazon.fr and the packaging is a thin fold-out cardboard case wrapped around a plastic disc holder. Is it supposed to be like that or do these also come in standard Blu-ray cases? Are all French BDs packaged like this?
Hello,
These are the new cases Gaumont introduced earlier this year (older releases such as Les visiteurs and Les deux mondes are in standard blue Blu-ray cases). 95% of the French distribs use exactly the same cases as our, North American, distribs do. At the moment, Gaumont are simply trying to be a bit more original.
The new cases for Le femme Nikita and Leon look very good though.
Watched this last night and it was well worth the cost of import. Superbly made police drama with a great plot and top notch acting. The video encode however seems quite neutered in the wide shots, this really deserved a BD50 and much higher bitrates. The film itself, however, more than makes up for it. Highly recommended.
Finally received it today. Idk why the user posted it as "used" when it was brand new & sealed. Anyway, that's good news for me.
Watch this movie before MR73, as the go wonderfully back-to-back.....but as a stand-alone movie.....wow.....just wow. Loved it more than the sequel. Even though I haven't heard his name in about 20 years, Gerard Depardieu's character is easily one of the Top 10 slimeballs of all-time.
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36 Quai des Orfèvres
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