Avant l'aube

This movie takes us back to the gold old "Cinema De Papa" when Pierre Very and Boileau-Narcejac wrote strong screenplays which did not fall apart after the first reel;some would mention Georges Simenon,which means we deal with pure psychological drama/thriller.

Jean-Pierre Bacri gives a powerful terrific performance as the owner of a luxury hotel in the Pyrénées ;we do not really know if he is forced to help this young delinquent because this young lad knows too much about his family or because he needs a human being he can call his son -the relationship with his own son is not exactly ideal-;as for Frederic,he has always been a boy down on his luck:his boss is(or seems to be) the first person to show him sympathy ,in spite of the reproaches of his wife ,who is not prepared to accept a prole -who was in jail for three months- in her cozy bourgeois home.

The cruel ending has got something of Claude Chabrol,maybe the only NV director who had his roots in the great old cinema .

Vincent Rottiers is the weakest link of the cast ,lacking screen presence ;just imagine what Cyril Descours would have done in this part!

Sylvie Testud plays a female Colombo ,also recalling the parts of those superintendents of long ago,Louis Jouvet in "Quai Des Orfevres" or mainly Charles Vanel in "Les Diaboliques".

The director is not Clouzot or Christian-Jaque ,but his movie ,an oasis in a world of blood ,sex and violence,should not be missed:once more,kudos to Bacri!

This film starts off with a lot of potential but rapidly loses its way and goes down in flames. The plot becomes progressively sillier and leads up to an ending that makes absolutely no sense. Viewers will feel cheated by the silly ending and the fact that they have wasted over an hour of their life watching this rubbish. Avoid at all cost!

If you love the Haute Pyrenees this is a winter's view of that treacherous landscape filled with narrow winding roads in the middle of nowhere. An accident happens and is covered up. The night clerk knows who did it. At first he is given a better job to keep his mouth shut, but an inspector is persistent and the hotel owner let's him go. He has no money and robs the hotel. He is taken in. Will he tell the truth? The unique winter landscape is the main reason to see this. The actors are good. The script is a stupid cover up of a snowy road accident. The whole thing could have been explained. I would still recommend it.

This is a flat story that begins with a promising start then quickly turns into a snoozefest and finishes with a whimper. The acting and cinematography are indeed above the average. The female police character is laughable cliche with 70's Peter Falk impersonation. Although it's classified as a thriller there's hardly any tension in the unfolding drama that fails to create a shred of suspense.

Some films stand or fall because of one actor, not only because most of the screen time he's there, but because the action pivots on him. This is the case of Vincent Rottiers, whose "Frédéric Boissier" will stay in my memory for a long time.

Well known actors J. P. Bacri, beautiful L. Mikaël and F. Perrot on the surface are the perfect family, owners of a hotel in the chic Pyrinees, serving the wealthy and powerful. But from the first scenes we know something is rotten, and Bacri knows Fréderic has seen to much. As this boy with a troubled past has no family and a simple girlfriend, Machiavellian Bacri buys our friend F. with trifles. A coat from his own son (who subsequently hates him), some awful stiff dinners with his stressed family, staying at the worst employee's room for a few days. And affection, plus a father figure, which F. never had and needs so badly.

Bacri is of course perfect as a likable guy who even while blatantly lying, you wind up still believing him. We've all been used by people like "Jacques".

Nice well shot scenery (even if you don't like the snow & mountains), well used (sparsely) classical music, and a glimpse into a world most of us won't ever know (pricey winter resorts) seen from the owner and the worker's perspective, to boot.

I didn't like the female inspector's character, played by Sylvie Testud ("Ce que mes yeux ont vu" among others) who this time, strangely enough, is not believable at all, I am sure, because of a "thin" character, always clumsy, asking some questions but ultimately not delivering much.

"Jacky", Fréderic's coworker, is also a hidden gem of a character. If you've been envied by somebody without knowing why, you know Jacky.

Sadly beautiful Céline Sallette (Le grand alibi) is also moving in this film, albeit in a small role.

It'll keep you gripping at your seat until the end, and then some. Can't say the same of most blockbusters you'll ever see :)!

PS: There are some loose threads, about a car's light that F. finds, for instance, and doesn't put to good use. Just a passing thought.