BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Inadvands Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Bantam Solid French cinema- this would be the ultra-short version. Even though the movie is being categorised as action and a thriller, in reality it is more of a drama and a biopic. Set in the time frame of 1975 to 1981 it details the struggle between the French police and the the mob. What is now commonly known as the French Connection (the way drugs were smuggled from Turkey to Marseille, refined and repacked there and then shipped off to the U.S.), serves as the backdrop for this movie. On the one hand there is the gang of mobsters (hence the name La French) on the other a special task force dealing with organised crime. Pierre Michel, a magistrate attached to this task force, goes all in to battle the current boss 'Tany' Zampa.But as said, it's not a flashy action flick. Michele is portrayed as a driven, obsessed man - it is implied that he had some gambling problems in the past - who seems to be actually trying to catch the 'bad guys'. During the entirety of the movie his determination is being shown as close to obsession as possible without too much cliché. It is obvious that his obsession will get him into trouble, sooner or later.The entire main cast does its best to stay focused on portraying 'normal' people- with all the rational and irrational thinking that drives us. Dujardin does well in his role, even though I found some scenes a bit 'too much'. I presume the director wanted to capture as much of the emotional struggle as possible in those scenes. The movie is little over 2 hours, so IMO a few more minutes to elaborate on the emotional stress magistrate Michele was going through, would have served the movie well.There is some action here and there, but it's neither flashy, nor heroic. It's the simple, realistic depiction of action and some graphic violence, or rather its absence, that adds to the movie. As said before, the movie is more of a drama, more focused on the characters involved and their struggles. It's one of the movies where even the antagonists have some sort of inner emotional cosmos one can actually relate to.The movie in its entirety is sombre, a bit bleak and some parts (especially the last 10 mins) have almost a cynical undertone to them. In general there are only a few lighter parts. And that all while being filmed in southern France, ie. it's almost sunny all the time- some shots underline this contrast very nicely: Michele and Zampa meet on an outcrop while the sun is slowly setting in the background. All those little bits and pieces add up to very solid drama; no light fare, to be sure. Give it a go if you're into Eurocinema.

akupm The must use adjectives are thrilling and mind blowing. Seriously, the motion picture directed and written by Cédric Jimenez was emotionally heavy. The movie was inspired by true events set in the 1970s. It was about a Neapolitan Mafia Boss Tanny Zampa who ran a French extortion gang in Marseille, France. The Kingpin and his mob later exploded into 'The Connection'. It meant heroin purchased from Turkey being flood into New York by the French Mafia. What stood in their way was dedicated detective Pierre Michel who raged bloody war against their money laundering Empire.In addition, this action packed Noir was set in Marseille, France. I loved how the opening scene exposed a landscape filled with historical buildings, palm trees, straight roads and the sea that reflected blue from the sky. The vibrating and aggressive sound from the motorbike gave the picture a dramatic sound. Expressive music which featured a woman singing her heart out gave a lovely mood. The song was Jerome sang by Lykke Li. Bang! Bang! Bullets flashed at a car driver on the streets. Hit men on motorbike were like characters from a western movie shooting down their victim. The act created a contrast from beautiful to horrendous.What is more, the tense violence gave the film justice. It empathised the horrors of the French Mafia who imported tons of heroin from Turkey to France and New York City. The pace was very fast. It demonstrated how society was corrupt by dangerous mobsters who rhymed with monsters. The viciousness contained scenes of Zampa and his henchmen killing those who did not pay up protection rackets. The shootings would be extremely loud and bloody. Graphic tortures was like a rakish rhythm in the content. It showed how evil bloodbaths were. There are media reports of President Nixon declaring war against drugs. This showed what impact on drug affairs did on lives.Moreover, Tanny Zampa was like a black and white painting. He loved his family and destroyed his enemies. He owned a fabulous club in Marseille. The dedicated detective Pierre Michel was hungry to bring an end to 'The Connection'. Pierre went to the extent in taking the law into his own hands to expose his patriotic nature. The two main contrasting characters had their glorious rise and tragic downfalls.To add, a scene which I also liked the most was when Tanny and his thugs interrogated their extortion victim. The sufferer was strapped to a chair. He wore his fabulous tuxedo. The room had silver walls. The scene played classic disco music which empathised disturbing psychology on mobsters killing legit people who did not pay up protection rackets. A gunned down casino owner. Left to bleed in a car park in broad day light. Tanny and his boys walked off like it just was business nothing personal.To carry on, the visualisation had some glimpse shots, fast forwarding and an expression in chiaroscuro. The film looked like a production from the 1970s. This helped empathise the time period. Laurent Tangy as the cinematographer expressed the contrast between light and shade. It resulted to the picture having a dark and light atmosphere. From urban to a reveal location, the lighting exposed the two different worlds. In Tanny's nightclub the cinematographer strengthen the shade and exaggerated the lighting. The high saturation was the icing on the cake. The camera shots in the French picture had long distance shots, up right footages and birds eye view. This implied the importance of society.As a continuation, soundtrack included an orchestra, disco music and electronic. The sound effects in the film created a tense tone. It backed up how 'The Connection' had a negative effect on Marseille and New York. The emotionally heavy orchestra which was played in the end implied the tragic downfalls of the two opposing characters. Detective Pierre was shot and left to death in his neighbourhood. Crime Boss Tanny was finally arrested as his Empire crumbled.For the story itself, all I can say is that it was about time to have a cinematic film about the rise and the downfall of the French heroin connection based in the 1970s. Watching the same old Sopranos could not compete with this breed of Gangsterism due to the fact that 'The Connection' focused on the sociological theme. The content was unique, because I was getting bored watching the same old Italian wise guys like 'Goodfellas', 'Mean Streets' and 'The Sopranos.' Those three titles do not go into political depth. Cinema needs more genres which are so different.All in all, I give this film a solid……………….. 8/10.

slootje12 In a way I was disappointed after seeing La French. The (real) story is gripping. I remember Marseille in the 70's was known as a dangerous place. You had to watch your steps. The French Connection was in the wrong way famous. And the murder on the judge was brutal. Only in the last 30 minutes La French will give you this feeling of drama. Before that the story is quite flat and cliché. It lacks the French grandeur and depth.Gilles Lellouche is a miscast as the main criminal. He is just too friendly in his looks and deeds (I agree with another reviewer). Jean Dujardin is good as always, but not brilliant. Celine Sallette is OK, but can do more. She has to play the terrible role of the wife, who leaves her husband because he is too busy with his work. But on the street after Jean Dujardin was shot, she is convincing. Also the atmosphere and the cinematography are very good. Real 70's. And the film is cut fast. So, there are a lot of good things, but they can't compensate the poor scenario and miscast of Gilles Lellouche. La French could and should have been better. I give it a 6/10, because of the importance of the real story behind it.

Sam Jack I have to say that I was really looking forward to this one. The disappointment was big. It's weak and sloppy, trying real hard to be something it will never be.La French is a film that basically wants to be hardcore and truthful but fails miserably. The director is obviously more comfortable with clichés than with the real deal. Each scene is a rip- off from other scenes taken from previous crime classics. But poorly done. The film has quite a budget, but it doesn't have any soul at all. Its makers obviously confuse money with quality. If you are a fan of Jean Dujardin, you will be very much disappointed. He deserved a better role. All dressed up but nowhere to go, La French is far from being the crime classic it tries to be. This is not the French Connection or The Godfather. Just a generic product disguised as a quality film.