C+


This is a French take on Scorsese's crime epics. The movie deals with the downfall of Parisian crime lord Claude Corti, fuelled by two cousins who want to replace him. A major figure in the happenings is the hitman Franck who despite his profession still hasn't lost his soul.

The movie is a mixed bag. The first 30 minutes are splendid. The movie starts with great pace, incredible violence, a solid shoout-out and fast proceedings. I thought I was in for a real treat. Turns out, I was mistaken. After around 30 minutes the movie starts to lose its focus and never regains it by the end. There is no satisfying conclusion, no real "ending". There are no likeable characters. The movie is incredibly misogynistic at times, considering almost all female characters in the movie are whores and/or raped at some point. I must give props to Philippe Caubère's great turn as Corti, though and, as I said, to the movie's opening half hour. It really could have been a bona fide French crime classic, but in the end, it's just a mediocre effort trying to be more than it actually is.