MARKED MOVIES

Director: Daniel Monzon.
Screenplay: Daniel Monzon, Jorge Guerricaechevarria.
Starring: Luis Tosar, Alberto Ammann, Antonio Resines, Manuel Moron, Carlos Bardem, Marta Etura, Luis Zahera, Fernado Soto, Vicente Romero, Manolo Soro, Patxi Bisquert, Miguel Martin.

Like “Let the Right One In” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” this is another European film that has unashamedly been set up for an American remake already (Paul Haggis being the man involved). Seldom are remakes anywhere near as good and yet again, this will prove a hard one to match.

Juan (Alberto Ammann) is about to start work as a prison guard and is taking a tour of a maximum security area when he is injured slightly in an accident and left behind as a riot breaks out. Juan convinces Malamadre (Luis Tosar), the convicts’ leader, that he is a new inmate who has been beaten up by guards, and the two men become close as the crisis escalates.

The film opens with the look of a low budget television film and at first I began to think I shouldn’t have listened to the plaudits I’d read of this. Not before long though, it really kicks into gear and cranks up the tension and excitement. Within minutes I was hooked. I’m an avid fan of prison drama’s, with their high level of suspense and on edge atmosphere and sense of danger. This is no different and wastes no time in exposing you to the violence and brutality of the inmates. Helped no end by two excellent central performances, particulary Luis Tosar as the snarling dominant ring leader. Director Daniel Monzon keeps the story briskly moving with several moments of unbearable and skillfully handled suspense and the fact that it avoids the usual genre conventions with many unexpected plot developments, helps in keeping you captivated and wondering what direction it will go in. European cinema seems to be reaching a bigger audience these days and this is another worthy of attention.
Fans of the 2009 French film “A Prophet”, or any prison drama for that matter, should find plenty to enjoy here.

An excellent well crafted film that delivers tension in spades.

Mark Walker

Director: Jean-Francois Richet.
Screenplay: Abdel Raouf Dafri, Jean-Francois Richet.
Starring: Vincent Cassel, Gerard Depardieu, Cecile De France, Gilles Lellouche, Roy Dupuis, Elena Anaya.

The allure of the gangster lifestyle seems to be a constant source of entertainment for people (myself included). It’s a genre that has turned out countless classics and with this recent French addition, director Jean-Francois Richet has a good go of including his film amongst the best.

Part one “Killer Instinct”, covers the early career (1959 – ’70) of outlaw Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel), covering his military service in Algeria, apprenticeship with a Paris gang-lord (Gerard Depardieu), crime-spree partnership with soulmate Jeanne (Cecile De France) and escape from a tough Canadian prison.

Being only the first installment of this two-part, 4 hour crime flick. The word ‘epic’ may spring to mind. Strangely though, it never felt epic to me and I think this was mainly down to it not being about a criminal family but only one individual. However, it’s no less effective and has more in common with “Scarface” in Mesrine’s one man rise to power or notoriety and “Bonnie & Clyde” for his crime spree with a ladyfriend. What’s demanded from it, is also the thing that holds it all together and that’s a lead performance of power and charisma. This is where Vincent Cassel comes in. He’s absolutely captivating. He commands every bit of the screen with a tour de force show. Being one of the finest actors around at present Cassel can now officially change his name to ‘excel’ for his portrayal of this dangerous career criminal. Excellent support also from a sadly underused but menacing Gerard Depardieu, who shows great presence and the only one that comes close to Cassel’s powerhouse performance.

An exciting fast paced bio-pic that’ll have you hooked right from the excellent split-frame opening scene. Worth checking out for Cassel alone.

Mark Walker

Director: Jean-Francois Richet.
Screenplay: Abdel Raouf Dafri, Jean-Francois Richet.
Starring: Vincent Cassel, Ludivine Sagnier, Mathieu Amalric, Samuel Le Bihan, Gerard Lanvin, Olivier Gourmet, Georges Wilson.

I only wish more directors were willing to broaden the scope of their films in this way. If an audience isn’t willing to sit for too long then release it in parts. Recently, Quentin Tarantino (“Kill Bill”) and Steven Soderbergh (“Che”) done it successfully or just look at another classic French two-parter “Jean De Florette” & “Manon Des Source” by Claude Berri. Proof enough that it works.

Part two “Public Enemy No: 1”, covers the later career (1974 – ’79) of French outlaw Jacques Mesrine (Cassell), covering the bank robberies which made him France’s most wanted criminal, his partnership with a fellow prison escapee (Mathieu Amalric), his relationship with free spirit Sylvie (Ludivine Sagnier) and his violent death.

The testament to a good film is it being able to tell you the ending at the beginning and still manage to produce a captivating film. “Carlitos Way” was a notable other in this particular genre. It’s in the second installment that we see more of Mesrine’s ego. His growing obsession with his notoriety and his shrewd manipulation of the media to help boost his criminal-celebrity image and his belief that he was a revolutionary. He’s more confident and daring, taking more chances and applying his trade right under the noses of the law-enforcement – right down to an escape from a court room and posing as a police officer to the police themselves. In some ways Mesrine was a confidence trickster which makes for gleeful entertainment in his sheer audacity. I see both parts of the film as one complete whole and as a result, rate them both the same in their exploration of the cultural image of a gangster and the ruthless nature required, coupled with the undeniable appeal and charisma.

Over the course of 4hours you are asked to invest a little but the (many) escapades of this charismatic anti-hero keep the excitement going and the running time a pleasure.
Magnifique.

Mark Walker