Comme un poisson hors de l'eau

pacing was good, dialogue mediocre to fair, but the visuals had me on holiday on the French Riveria (out of season)

at first, the chemistry seems a little off as the genre of French mob movies has been infiltrated by the American sense of darkness and Tarantino admirers. yet, given the violent subtext, very little actual bloodshed, which works for me.

Bellucci as the femme fatale owns the screen (and I'm watching on a PowerBook) - a luminous grace that you can't help but stare as an oncoming car runs over you in the street sort of look.

plot is basic and resolves without loose ends, and the character development of the patsie picks up the last few minutes. you almost want the arc sooner, but you're paying too much attention to the idiosyncratic "bad guys" crowd that it almost doesn't matter.

watch this on a Sunday afternoon when you should be doing errands or stay in on a rainy night. a good Seattle, weeknight movie.

I saw this only for Monica Bellucci. She is sexy in it, but nothing for anybody who wants more. The film was okay though. Michel Muller is very funny as the duped fish expert. He came to Italy from Spain to meet the woman of his dreams. All the while, he was actually coming there to be used by three fish thieves. His overwhelming feelings for Myrtille, as well as mine, won't allow him to do the right thing and leave. A fun comedy with some action. 5/10

One of the worst movie I have seen in 2009 so far: The story hesitates between a silly thriller or a dumb comedy.

As nothings happens, the void is filled with long, boring dialogs that don't make any sense!

The cast is famous but doesn't bring any emotions except to fast-forward the play!

And it happens in a plush seaside hotel that looks really gloomy. In comparison, the one of the "Shining" is funfair!

NB: a lot of users think that it is located in the French Riviera! They are wrong! It isn't the south of France (Nice, Cannes) but totally the opposite: Cabourg & Normandy, to be simple the beaches of the D-Day! That's why the sea is as grey as the sky and there isn't sun!

It seems to be a common thing in the 90's to play with cliches. Some manage to do so with great talent. Hervé Hadmar doesn't. On the paper, the movie looked interesting though: the weak plot could have been saved by great moments of comedy, dark humour, and a very "décalé" style. Director Hadmar, unfortunately, kills his direction with his camera angles and his absolute lack of rhythm. Every joke is embarassing as no one reacts in the theater. The movie is incredibly slow, and the actors seem to be wondering what the hell they're doing in this ridiculous mascarade. What could have been a stylish funny mindless comedy ends up being a cathedral of boredom.

This is a pretty standard French gangster film. However, it is much prettier to look at than most films of this genre. Not only are the locales in Paris, and the French Riviera ideally captured, providing one of the best features of this film, but the gorgeous Monica Bellucci is similarly exposed. If you are a fan of Monica's, the great French villain Tcheky Karyo, and/or France's most beautiful panoramas, this film is definitely for you.