36 - Tödliche Rivalen

As usual, Olivier Marchal offers us an excellent thriller with a Homeric duel between Léo Vrinks and Denis Klein, two Parisian cops coveting the same promotion, i.e. the office of their common boss. They know and despise each other, making the competition fiercer. This movie rhymes globally with excellency, thanks to a dark atmosphere, an excellent knowledge of the French national police, Olivier Marchal being a former inspector, and an ineluctable fatalism, ... and despite the caricatural character of Denis Klein who is a a well-known alcohol abuser cruelly lacking of dignity and integrity, conferring a poor image of the national police. De facto, the film's realism is diminished, at least I hope so. In this respect, the final scene between Daniel Auteuil and Gérard Depardieu is disappointing and disturbing, Denis Klein's soliloquy being surrealistic with a mix of madness and megalomania.

The whole cast, the script and the dialogues are globally excellent. Daniel Auteuil and Gérard Depardieu are awesome.

The opening in 36 has got to be one of the more arresting (pun not intended) starters in a movie I've watched in some time, especially if you're a fan of Euro-electronica, where a catchy tune paces the multiple action happening on screen.

The French police is stumped by a gang of armed robbers whose fast and brutal methods leave no witnesses. Of course the politicians are angry and want immediate results in the capture of these criminals. The stakes are raised when a vacant seat in higher office is opened to the officer who manages to do so.

Leo Vrinks is a decorated cop with questionable methods. Toeing the line that separates cops from thugs, his team of officers and himself are tasked to bring these criminals to justice. His rival, Denis Klein, also a celebrated cop, wants the case for himself, but unceremoniously gets his team and himself relegated to a support role in the sting operation.

Naturally, unexpected things happen during the operation because of Denis' callous behaviour, and lives on both sides are lost. But no, the show doesn't end there when the thugs are captured, as the rivalry between the men spill over and provides more than sufficient fuel for the second half of the movie.

I guess it's the same at most offices, where promotion's at stake, the struggles and intense rivalry may get into the way of the greater good in getting the objective achieved. Methods are questioned, where morality and ethics are put into the spotlight - does the end really justify any means necessary? Like memorable HK police thriller Infernal Affairs, it is the powerful relationship between the main characters that this drama explores and excels in, with excellent acting from Daniel Auteuil and Gerard Depardieu as the bitter men with ambiguous methods and morales.

It's a relatively tight storyline, and you'll have to pay close attention to the subplots in order to be able to piece together how and why the ending was as presented. Highly recommended stuff.

What a good surprise this movie has been ! I just had to let you know about it as soon as possible

As it might not rings any bell in foreigners' head, know that the Quai Des Orfèvres is the familiar name for the Criminal Investigations Division of the Paris Police, located at no. 36. In popular parlance, "Quai des Orfèvres" means to the French what "Scotland Yard" means to the British.

Indeed we are here in a thriller, a dark one. The director, Olivier Marchal is a former cop and the story of 36 Quai Des Orfèvres is from real facts from the life of Dominique Loiseau (who co-wrote the script), former member of the BRI (Brigade de Recherche et d'Intervention = Search and Action Squad, the "anti-gangs" squad) in the mid eighties.

In this movie we follow the struggle between two cops.

On one hand we have Vrinks, BRI's head. Daniel Auteuil, who is one of the most famous actors in France, offers the audience an amazing performance playing this cop who is found of justice, whatever it costs and whatever the methods are to take down the criminals. To reach his ideal of justice he uses to flirt dangerously with the "dark side" taking risks for his family, his life and his career. Anyway it seems his priorities are still in this order. Like the Vincent Hanna of Heat, he just has two lifes he tries to separate: the one at work and the one at home where he doesn't say anything about his work to his wife (played by the beautiful Valeria Golino), just because he's afraid that might make her run away...

On the other hand we have Klein, the head of the BRB (Brigade de Répression du Banditisme = Crime Repression Squad, taking care of big robberies and so on) played by a very well known actor, in France but also around the world after a few appearance in Hollywood movies: Gérard Depardieu who seems to have reminded the amazing actor he can be. Depardieu is indeed at his top, playing this ambitious and soured character who reaches power and power only.

Tensions exist between these two men who used to be friends. They really don't share the same goals regarding their professional life but it appears quickly that the problem is mostly located on the private front. We don't know exactly what has happened but it seems that a woman, who is now Mrs Vrink, has been between the two of them, breaking for good their friendship long years ago and creating a scare which is still very sensitive today.

Their boss Robert Mancini, played by André Dussolier (the narrator's voice in Amélie, here playing perfectly again a role quite similar to the one he had in Agents Secrets), makes these tensions get worse when explaining them that he is about to be promoted. As they are both equally qualified, they are in competition for his replacement. The one who will take down a gang of very violent robbers currently holding up to ridicule the police forces, will be the new head of the number 36, Quai des Orfèvres.

And here you know just the starting plot of this movie which benefits of a really really good script. In addition to this perfect script you have a great casting for the main roles but also for the "background characters" who are for most of them unknown actors who will surely be known in a few movies if they continue to play so well and have the luck again to play in such a great film.

The rhythm of the movie is also really good and, very unexpected for this kind of production in France, risks have been taken and ... it pays. This movie really takes you in its story and it's a great journey.

Olivier Marchal is a former cop yes, but more than that he is also a great thriller movie fans. I've used a reference to Heat earlier and, according to some interviews I've read after having seen the movie, it seems that Olivier Marchal totally agrees with me on the fact Heat is one of the best thriller ever shooted if not the best. He said he wanted to something in the same spirit, all things considered and I had indeed been surprised during 36 Quai Des Orfèvres to think a few times about Michael Man's work. We are far from a Collateral or a Heat but 36 Quai Des Orfèvres doesn't have to get redden in front of these masterpieces IMHO.

Fan, honest and humble, Olivier Marchal has delivered us a very efficient and striking thriller who deserves to be classified among the best of the genre.

36 Quai Des Orfèvres is letting me hope that maybe France will be back on the thrillers front, which had been quite deserted after a golden age in the 70's with great directors like Jean-Pierre Melville.

I really hope that this movie will be released in foreign countries and that most of you will have the opportunity to see it. An opportunity that I seriously invite you to not miss

The film by Olivier Marchal has recently been released in Polish cinemas under quite a misleading title, 36, which does not indicate much to an average movie goer. And the same was as to me. I went to see it not because it is based on true facts (no handout said it), nor because it is a thriller (I am not a particular fan of such films) but because of two main actors, Gerard Depardieu and Daniel Auteuil, both remarkably popular in Europe. The movie surprised me, not only due to the performances of the above mentioned persons, but because of the content and the way it is presented.

MESSAGE AND REALISM: It would be silly to present now the content of the film. Many before me have already done it. All I would like to say, or in other words, all I would like to draw viewer's attention to are two factors: what the film generally wants to convey and why it is so natural. Marchal's film IS (I do not deny) filled with violence. It shows the methods of the worst criminals. A particularly disgusting moment was beating of a woman in a bar, close friend of the cops. However, the main idea and focus is not directed towards the criminals that much as rather towards two cops who can also be influenced by decadence and brutality. Leo Vrinks (Daniel Auteuil) is definitely a good man, attached to his family and striking for justice indefatigably fighting against the pack of bandits. His former friend, however, Denis Klein (Gerard Depardieu) moves his goals in a different direction... Therefore, the end shows that they get what each one deserves... Therefore, the movie is a wonderful message of how people stir their goals in life. At the same time, it is a very natural presentation of the world of the cops, how risky their lives are, how they really have to deal with most serious crimes. But here, it is important to state that by showing violence, the film IN NO WAY tries to promote it, but aims at a realistic image of the main characters' reality.

CAST: The performances are great. Most people play very naturally, which makes the film a true adventure. There are such moments in which you feel that you are there with Vrinks. The director wonderfully manages to lead a viewer to the action, to be controlled by it, to sink in it. And that proves the fact that the film is a very talented piece of work.

EMOTIONS: I was very, very surprised how many gentle moments the producers entailed in a thriller. On the one hand, we see the corruption and decadence of the criminal world; on the other hand, there is love and gentleness. I will never forget the moment when Vrinks is in a jail and does all he can in despair to see his wife, Camille Vrinks (Valeria Golino). Their delicate kiss and gentle words "I love you" later occur to be the key aspects of their last meeting in this world. And the sequence of Vrinks and his 17 year old daughter, Lola (played by Auteuil's real daughter Aurore Auteuil). He is showed as a man who has never been spoiled by the world he dealt with. The emotions that the movie shows are really worth attention - no kitsch, no tearjerker, but real life!

To sum up, I have to say that I liked the movie. Not many French films are released in Poland, not many of them are famous in the world (pity), but after seeing Marchal's film, I consider it one of the best of its genre. Really, honor meets decadence and gentleness meets brutality. Isn't that realistic?

I had the privilege of seeing this film at the Lincoln Center (NY City) Rendezvous with French Cinema in March 2005 with the director, Olivier Marchal, in attendance.

The film stars Daniel Auteuil, Gerard Depardieu, and Valeria Golino. The two male leads play rivals for the position of Chief of Police in the same district of Paris. Depardieu's character is the heavy and the actor does a magnificent job. But so does Auteuil as the "good guy" and Golino as his wife. Marchal both wrote and directed this film, drawing on his former life as, in fact, a Paris cop and based the events in the film on some real occurrences from the 80s in Paris. There are drug dealers and corrupt cops, to be sure, but what gives this film tremendous power is the combination of the superb acting and a tough, smart script.

The current chief is in line to a promotion to commissioner and knows the personalities of the two rivals well--so well, in fact, that he engages in some devious manipulative actions to set them against each other. The resulting tension and conflict between these two is what gives the film its tremendous momentum. The plotting is perfect; this film does everything it's supposed to do, and a lot more, to grab the viewer by the throat and not let go until the end.

Upon conclusion of the film, the director was bombarded with questions. One of them was whether or not the film has American distribution. One would think that with two French mega-stars like Auteuil and Depardieu, no problem, right? Wrong. Marchal indicated that the film was picked up for distribution throughout the world EXCEPT in the US. It is my fervent hope that some American studio/distributor smartens up and then snaps up this film which is, without question, the absolute best policier in more than 20 years. The last great film in this genre from France was La Balance, directed, interestingly enough, by an American ex-pat, Bob Swaim. That was in 1982. Even Tavernier's L.627, 1992, is not a strong contender.

But 36 Quai des Orfevres is the real deal. The title refers to the street address of the district precinct station whose sign, in a nifty opening sequence, is ripped off by...well, you'll just have to see for yourself.

Very highly recommended. A great thriller--formidable! (French for terrific).