Quite a strange movie because I liked it overall even though it irritated me for various reasons.
What stroke me right away was the enormous speed of talking, which I first considered unnatural and bad acting, but maybe it has to do with the dubbing of the French language, which is very good in interconnecting words. Still, it is more explicit than in other French movies.
The story also has its flaws. Gerard Depardieu gives a disenchanted but also over-motivated Parisian police officer, who tends to get violent, when the suspects do not cooperate in the desired way. At the same time, this person also feels quite comfortable when associating with the criminal milieu. In the end he even falls in love with a young suspect. May well be since love is an irrational thing but altogether there are too many quite incompatible character traits to fit in one person in a plausible way.
In return this makes the story quite unpredictable and multifaceted. The movie also profits by the authentic atmosphere both in the police daily routine and the criminal conduct. The camera is in the middle of the action and almost feels hand-held.
The movie also has quite an impressive cast. Depardieu, Marceau and Bonnaire are great names in the French movie industry and ensure a certain quality.
What stroke me right away was the enormous speed of talking, which I first considered unnatural and bad acting, but maybe it has to do with the dubbing of the French language, which is very good in interconnecting words. Still, it is more explicit than in other French movies.
The story also has its flaws. Gerard Depardieu gives a disenchanted but also over-motivated Parisian police officer, who tends to get violent, when the suspects do not cooperate in the desired way. At the same time, this person also feels quite comfortable when associating with the criminal milieu. In the end he even falls in love with a young suspect. May well be since love is an irrational thing but altogether there are too many quite incompatible character traits to fit in one person in a plausible way.
In return this makes the story quite unpredictable and multifaceted. The movie also profits by the authentic atmosphere both in the police daily routine and the criminal conduct. The camera is in the middle of the action and almost feels hand-held.
The movie also has quite an impressive cast. Depardieu, Marceau and Bonnaire are great names in the French movie industry and ensure a certain quality.