Anything for Her (2008)

I've only just recently started streaming foreign films, so obviously iv'e seen the Hollywood remake of this movie before this one. "Pour Elle" aka "Anything For Her" is a good drama/thriller. The remake clearly copied 90% of this film, i like the remake and i like this original one. This one is more gritty and more harsh than the updated version. I knew the outcome of the story but i still wanted to rent the original, amazon prime video have it available and i don't regret spending money on it.Both movies are just as good as each other, there is one thing that stands out which is the escape scene, in this original version there are aspects mainly at the beginning of the escape scene before they enter the apartment where it is very edge of your seat thrilling - more thrilling than the remake beginning escape scene, however the second half of the escape scene is not as thrilling as the second half of the escape scene from the remake version.Overall, "Pour Elle" is a must-watch. If you like "The Next Three Days" then you will like this French original version. If you don't mind subtitles then this flick is worth renting.

A French thriller. The wife, Lisa, of a school teacher, Julian, is convicted of murder after being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their previously quiet, steady life is thrown into turmoil. She is sentenced to 20 years in prison.As well as witnessing the couple's commitment to each other, we see the effect the events have on her son. Her husband bides his time and plans in detail how to free her from prison. His escape plans succeed and they flee to live abroad.A well paced, crafted thriller, that builds suspense and engages us with the characters.

ANYTHING FOR HER is another riveting French thriller that outplays Hollywood at their own game. It's a tight, focused, and compelling narrative that follows the misadventures of a man whose wife is sent to prison for a crime she didn't commit. With no chance of her early release, the guy sets about on a crazy plan: to free his wife from prison and flee the country, so that they can begin a new life abroad.This is a great little movie and the only thing I disliked about it was that it could have used a little more breakneck action (director Fred Cavaye would perfect the genre with his next film, POINT BLANK). But the slow first hour works really well in building up sympathetic, realistic characters who you want to see come through no matter what. What really works as well is the focus of the script, which is on the central conceit throughout: there are no dumb sub-plots here, no extraneous stuff, just lean and pared-down filmmaking.The performances are excellent, particularly from the gruff but likable Vincent Lindon, who was a newcomer to me. It's good to see Diane Kruger display some acting chops below the superficial beauty too. But the real winner here is writer/director Cavaye, who's crafted one of the tautest movies of recent years.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning Julien (Vincent Lindon) is a french bloke who's about to settle down to have a nice meal with his wife Lisa (Diane Kruger) and son, when the police raid his apartment and arrest Lisa on suspicion of murdering her boss. She's innocent, but too much plausible evidence is stacked against her and she looks set to spend a long time in jail for a crime she didn't commit. With everything going wrong, Julien mounts a plan to spring her from the nick and is driven to desperate lengths to see his plan through.This small, independent film first took me by surprise during the opening credits which had french writing all over them. I had been looking forward to seeing Mesrine which is one of the more well known french films to have come out lately, but this looked like a normal American sort of lesser known film, but then I see it's all in french?!? Anyway, that shouldn't be a major problem and it isn't- and this is a decent thriller with quite a high concept idea behind the storyline which is driven with some solid drama and thrilling gusto. It's a bit too unremarkable to have much of an effect beyond that, but it's nice to know our continental neighbours can carry off their own legs. ***