Cédric Jimenez, La French, 2014
Did Judge Pierre Michel ever meet godfather Gaëtan Zampa alone on a country road, or is that just rookie director trying to score points by alluding to that overrated Pacino / De Niro faceoff in Heat? Whatever, the two French actors are not in the same league. Yes, this is one of those "based on a true story" gangster tales, so expect a lot of Scorsese: there's Tany strutting across the Krypton dancefloor like Ray Liotta in the famous Steadicam walk through the kitchens in Goodfellas, and that awful mawkish fusion of Dinah Washington's "This Bitter Earth" and Max Richter (who's awful and mawkish enough as it is) is lifted brazenly from Shutter Island (rather morally dubious: makes it seem like Zampa is the hero not the villain). Elsewhere, the crew took pains to recreate the 70s - cars, clothes, furniture, and music. Shame about that Dinah ripoff, as otherwise it's quite a good selection (Al Wilson "The Snake", yeah!). But overall, at least twenty minutes too long and not very interesting. Go back and watch The French Connection again, it still kicks ass.
Thoroughly enjoyed it, actually - I'd always wondered where the middle ground might be found between Kitano and John Woo.. here it is, with plenty of genuine madness thrown in for good measure (the final bazooka atomic meltdown showdown is a great way to go out).
