11.6 - The French Job

The authentic tale of Toni Musulin, the security guard who got away, back in 2009, aboard the armored truck he drove. This story has already been filmed in 2011: 1,2,3 Voleurs, a TV movie. Pure crap, starring Nicolas Cazale, the Antonio Banderas's face like french actor.

This movie - 11.6 - is far better. It emphasizes about the true personality of the lead, played here by François Cluzet, who gives a powerful performance. Although this actor annoys me in his way of acting. But I talk here only of my own taste. He is a good actor, no matter the way I feel about him...

The character of Toni Musulin is very complex, weird, unforeseeable..

Like in Nicolas Boukrief's LE CONVOYEUR, back in 2004, the armored trucks security guards are shown here as jerks. For instance in the scene where we see one of them get laid with a prostitute in the back of the truck whilst his colleagues deliver the dol...

Why such a sequence?

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")

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

I give stars basically as to how much I enjoyed a movie. All sorts of other factors will matter to me, but at the end of the day it all adds up to enjoyment. I really enjoyed 11.6. The movie had a great sense of workplace honesty, had realistic relationship scenes, broke the suburban monotony periodically with the outdoors (using good framing and good cameras), and all was delivered by great actors brilliantly cast. There were levels of interest for me. For example, there was a bit of an Of Mice And Men thing going on with a co-worker. The marriage relationship was distinctly odd, but strangely compelling. That aspect could have been an indie movie in of itself. This is a strange tale about a strange man, as well as a stranger than fiction tale, and the filmmakers here have delivered the story with great sympathy and respect.

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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