Vidocq (2007)

Recently I decided to give "Vidocq" another watch. It's probably already the third or fourth time I watched this movie and I enjoyed it again, even if you have to say that knowing the final plot twist takes away some of the suspense. On the other hand, it also makes you more curious to spot little hints about who the enemy here really is. And Depardieu isn't getting boring anyway, truly talented actor."Vidocq" is director Pitof's debut movie, a very dark and atmospheric effort. Sadly, "Catwoman" starring Halle Berry killed Pitof's career only three years after "Vidocq" already. Here the writer from "The Crimson Rivers" worked with Pitof on the script and one of the most interesting snippets about this film is that Vidocq really existed and this movie is based on his memoirs.Don't read more if you want to avoid spoilers: Looking at the indicators that proved that Canet's character was the actual killer following Vidocq's traces, the first you may think of is his strong, almost obsessed dedication. You could see how he gets in the door when Vidocq's colleague early on tries to get rid of him. He isn't even scared by violence. Another would be that the people he visited keep dying right when he allegedly left. And finally, almost before we find out the truth, we see Canet's character scared that somebody may have seen the face of the killer and the very moment the witness says he could not see the face, Canet's character lets everybody see his face now that he is safe. Or thinks he is. However, when I saw the film for the first time, i have to say that the final twist came as a huge surprise to me.This is a very creative crime thriller with a touch of supernatural horror. Depardieu is usually a very physical actor and he makes it work here very well, even if he is only seen in flashbacks as it seems he was killed early on. The final scene with Depardieu so eager to see the corpse that disappeared in the water almost gives room for a sequel, which never happened though. Canet, by now is one of the most established French actors (apart from being Marion Cotillard's partner from a long time, the lucky bastard) and it is fun to see him in his very early years. Inés Sastre, who plays the main female part, did not add too much for me except good looks. It's not really her acting that's the problem, more that I did not see big purpose in her character. Especially towards the end, it seems really random when she appears out of nowhere with Vidocq's partner, but has literally no impact in the final scenes. Apocalyptica's "Hope" in the closing credits is a nice song that fits the tone of the film very well.As a whole, Vidocq is a great movie that would also have worked (maybe even better) without the fantasy/supernatural factor to it. I recommend giving it a look. I think also mainstream audiences can enjoy it and it is not as aimed exclusively at lovers of "Cinéma francais" as most French films are these days.

It takes place in 1830 in Paris. Vidocq is the name of the main character who's based on an actual French historical figure that's considered one of the pioneers of scientific police (think CSI). He's played by probably the most famous French actor living today: Gérard Depardieu. Rather originally, the title character dies in the first 5 minutes of the film. The rest of the story alternates between the investigation of a journalist retracing Vidocq's steps and flashbacks of Vidocq's last case. The original screenplay was written by best-selling French mystery writer, Jean-Christophe Grangé. It was his first original screenplay, and he says it will be his last, and not because he wasn't happy with it. This last case of Vidocq involves the murder of notables by lightning strike. The journalist's investigation takes us from person to person in a rather linear fashion. The investigation itself is not particularly gripping, but there are a couple of big twists at the end. The "bad guy" sports a very cool mirror mask. The fantastical elements originate from the mirror mask person, not everything is real or scientifically explained.The special effects in general, with a couple of exceptions, are pretty well done, particularly the mask's reflections. It's apparently the first commercial feature film made completely with a digital camera (as opposed to a camera with film). This means that the picture quality, at the time, was crisper than usual, also giving it an unusual look. Lots of work has been done on lighting and colours. The colours are very vivid and favour the colours red, yellow and green. The decors are a mix of real life and digital trickery, they usually look very good and unlike your standard American films. Despite taking place in the 19th century, the editing is modern and very fast, with lots of very quick close-ups. I personally didn't like that style of frenetic cutting because the cuts often seemed unnecessary and made things either less involving or a little harder to assimilate. The characters seemed a bit on the shallow side to me, but then it's more about action, mystery and suspense with a touch of fantastical. Vidocq was compared to the film Seven but in 1830. It's nowhere near as good in any regard, except perhaps for visual style, very different anyway.The director, Pitof, was a special effects supervisor for most of his career (City of Lost Children, Alien IV) and his following project was directing the infamous Catwoman. It's likely he got that job because of Vidocq. I find that the director Pitof is not very good at telling a story, has trouble with pacing and making us care about the characters. Vidocq is worth renting (or buying cheap) for the spiffy visuals alone. Overall, the movie is not bad but not memorable either. It's likely that a more talented director (Burton, Fincher, Jeunet, etc) with the same material could have done a lot better.Rating: 6 out of 10 (Good) P.S. There are no portals, dark or otherwise.

I have tried to find a horror/slasher/monster/ghost-movie that I like that isn't American since those films are so over-exposed all over the world, but it's not easy to find horror from other countries in Sweden. Sweden is a small country, so to make money, you gotta go for blockbusters over here. But, since Swedes are pretty serious and pretentious and artsy-fartsy when it comes to films and theater, we do get all things French, no matter if it's pornographic and stupid.I saw the commercial for this on another film I rented, and it looked rather old-fashioned and mystic, with good actors, so I had positive expectations. But, it has some of the most annoying visual effects I've seen, where complete skies and countrysides and buildings and characters are filled in with horrifically ugly results. The look of the movie is very much TV-production, which may be the aim, but still is ugly and makes the whole experience very small for such a large-scale story and fascinating old France. Then we have a hand-held-camera-attitude which just looks so pretentious, exactly like all those TV-courtroom-dramas where they move the camera around to create "tension", or nausea, whatever works for you. Only here, it's worse in that they make one bored. Cuts and closeups and wiggle shots, like drunk on a boat in a storm. The acting is good, as often in the case with French actors, and the story compelling and interesting.¨This could have been very good, with a less pretentious approach, as I said earlier.

I've seen this movie through cable this afternoon. It was a real surprise. I admit I cannot get through the plot thoroughly since it was in French. But being a French movie is a real plus here. The story took place in 1830 France. The country was in disarray after repeated changes in government. The setting is dark and depressing. Everywhere you can see people are suffering. It's in their attitudes, their clothes, their environment. This is not something you will see in other movies of this period. Characters' movement are splendid, especially the Chinese/French woman whose name I forgot. Her movement makes this movie looks like art. I know that this movie is a horror film, but it's an artful horror. The plus side of being French is that it doesn't stick to the Hollywood-style horror. Its emphasis on emotions and audiences' feelings make this movie outstanding comparing to Hollywood's. Summay: This movie is definitely R (violence, nudity, I guess). So, it your are over 18, give it a try. You'll find it enjoyable even if you're not horror fan. However, if you dislike the genre, this one may not be powerful enough to change your mind.