11.6 - The French Job

Reality is stranger than fiction. Then again, if "fiction" adapts a real story is it even stranger? The movie might be an example of that. Very well played by its main actor (you might see him in other movies too), the movie is weird to say the least. The relationships between the characters are very realistic, but the motivation of the main character sometimes remains hidden.

If that is something you can handle and you like weird stories/movies, then this might be your thing exactly. The German title of the movie gives away what this is going to be about, but that doesn't matter much, because you get the sense where this is going. Another reviewer wrote this is a remake, I cannot confirm that, so I'm not sure/aware of any other movie existing in the same vein

In Paris, the methodic security guard Toni Musulin (François Cluzet) has worked as driver of armored truck of the IBRIS Company for ten years. He lives a loveless marriage with Marion (Corinne Masiero) and works with his best friend Arnaud (Bouli Lanners). His salary is low and Toni usually works overtime to increase his income.

One day, Toni accidentally finds that his overtime is miscalculated and he discuss the subject with his arrogant boss that cares the least bit to his complaint and humiliates him. Toni seeks revenge against his boss plotting a heist exploring the fragility of the security system of IBRIS and he steals 11.6 million Euros that are transported in the armored truck.

"11.6" is a deceptive movie with a promising story but awful screenplay. François Cluzet is a great actor but his character is not well developed. The guy has an income of less than two thousand Euros per month but apparently has saved enough to buy a Ferrari exploiting his wife that works hard in her small restaurant and gives bed and food to him. He plans a heist, steals the money from the armored truck, hides the money in his garage, travels to Monaco to meet a woman that he saw once in a night-club and finally he gives himself up to the police. Toni seems to be a bad character, defrauding the insurance company and exploiting his wife, but he does neither use nor flee with the money. Therefore all the operation is only to pay his boss back for his mistreatment? My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "O Grande Assalto 11.6" ("The Great Heist 11.6")

Is a while since a movie has left me feeling unfinished, however 11.6 achieved this.

The movie is based on the story of Toni Musulin, a French security van driver who made headlines when was claimed he drove off with his security truck one day. Did he, or did he not ? With 11.6 million euros on board whether he took it or not is IMHO not so clear. While the movie paints his as the evil conspirator, however IMHO this not so clear. Sure he appears to be the robber, however IMHO their remains room to doubt this is the facts.

Yes, I did feel (almost) he deserved to recover the money ;-)

As humans we have a sense of reasonable. Treatment of Toni Musulin as an employee almost qualifies his (alleged) behavior,

Despite the movie, I find NOT so clear whether he actually stole the money...

OK the movie paints the thinking to justify the plot of the movie, yet it still leaves doubt - however faint that may be, in the mind of viewers.....

Any movie which leaves such doubt in our minds, IMHO is excellent.

Facts are rarely as clear as the case presented by prosecutors ;-)

It kept me wondering the entire movie, so well worth watching :-)

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So first off most reviews I read here are clearly misinformed or made by people who don't understand french. This movie is based on what the french media called the heist of the century or how a simple employee disappeared with 11.6 millions euros (approx $14Mil) without firing a shot The beauty of this true story is that Tony Musulin who was chased by Interpol in more than 185 countries finally surrendered (they couldn't find him) and spent only 4 years in jail. But 2.5 millions were never recovered.He was released in 2013.

So you will not be watching Ocean's Eleven or Lucky Logan here ... this is not a flashy action packed movie that tells a story written on a deck in Malibu. It's more like a documentary and psychological thriller.

What I really like about this movie is how the relationship between the characters are played, simple and sometimes chilling ... the way Muslin leave his wife shows what it takes and how real bad guys / psychopaths think in the real world. The movie emphasize the simplicity and dull reality of life no Hollywood balm.

Francois Cluzet is as usual fantastic.

If you like movies based on cold hard facts I would also recommend The adversary (L'adversaire) which is another too true to script real story.

i like the actor who played the main role of this film, but i just can't say that this film is any better than the older ones. this film is poorly scripted, poorly directed and poorly edited. we just saw a guy who's among the losers taking that money transporting job, day in and day out without any possible break-through in the foreseeable future. there's nothing really matters and needs to be told about. the guy was upset and angry almost at every thing, his job, his marriage, his low income, his colleagues, his unfairly miscalculated over time, not hours but minutes. he is like a insect trapped on a spider's web. he stole the money truck and stored the money in a storage unit, drove away on a motor bike to the alpines, to Monaco, then what? willingly gave himself up to the police. the screenplay just felt so hollow and boring to the extreme. there's really nothing to tell to the movie viewers. this is a film that should never have been produced or reproduced, just wasted some Euros and a bunch of actors's time to patch up a deadbeat, totally pointless and purposeless film. do not think about renting the DVD, because i assure you that you'd disappoint like me, even $1.00 rented from Wal-Mart is too much.