Por Trás do Crime

If you enjoy gangster movies, this is a must see, it's top notch! It's the hard and gut wrenching rendering of the hollow, treacherous life and risks you take being a proper gangster, and I've had the dubious privilege of meeting some in my time. The best gangster is the one with the biggest balls, there is no aber dabei. The message of the movie is clear as a bell; menace is the order of the day, by surprise or default. There is no glory, there is no deeper meaning, simple pleasures have no meaning and it's dog eat dog. Ugly life at best and it's really portrayed expertly by the players, shallow and unreliable, but reliably unpredictable, terrifying and perfectly psychotic bar a couple who are a bit 'smarter' than the rest and hold actual dreams for better things. The gallery is typical and every type is in place and proper form. The subtleties are really minute but they are absolutely included, look away and you'll miss it as a whole! I will watch this many more times. You might have a tough time digging it out, but well worth the effort. Now if you'll excuse me I'll go watch some other favourites!

And to those reviewers who were mystified or felt let down by the plot or the characters, may I suggest they watch the more mainstream movies and actors, because the fabulous subtleties of 'Truands' were apparently lost on them. They've never met real gangsters! Even the loot is realistic, just enough 'pennies' to make a new life!

I love french films, especially crime thrillers, and films of this type. Dobermann by far and away is the best film of this type that i have ever seen. I bought Paris Lockdown hoping for more of what i'd seen and loved in Dobermann. I was left feeling let down by Paris Lockdown. I just didn't 'get it' at all - i don't actually know what they were trying to achieve with this film. Any chance of really showing and fleshing out the characters and story seems to have fallen by the wayside - which is a shame because it could have easily been a classic. The only decent character and acting was done by Benoit and Tomer. I don't know really... i'm pretty open minded but i'd have a hard time recommending this. This will probably sit on the shelf, or in the loft, for a long time now.

A Parisian crime-boss ensures that nobody ever double-crosses or undermines him or his business by using extreme methods. He ruthlessly deals with any of his gang who he even suspects of wrong-doing and similarly deals with other gangs trying to muscle in on his territory. However, his activities have not escaped the notice of the police.

An action-packed but empty film. We have the usual assortment of gangsters, doing gangster stuff, including torturing and murdering people and being involved in extravagant shootouts, and the usual edginess of this characters. So far, so good, as the characters and their methods seem set up for a decent crime-drama.

However, that's all there is: edgy characters, murders and shootouts. The plot is largely non-existent and superficial at best. The background setup IS the plot. There's no arc to the story or the characters: things happen (largely, people get murdered) but that's it - there's no buildup to it and nothing developing from it.

Disappointing.

I just don't understand... Where is the story, where are the characters ? Well, this is a strange movie. I'm still wondering whether is was good or not... This could have been a classic but the characters are so flat: They all live for the same things (i.e. drugs, alcohol, money and Hungarian whores) they get doing some "business". None of the characters seems to have something unique or original. The story is really completing this. Whith no-personality-characters you get a no-personality-story or just a no-thing. On the other hand if you really haven't got anything to do today. Just go. There is a lot of dumb mafia guys shootin' and drinking all film long. Really interesting ;-) Fortunately I didn't pay for the cinema so I can't regret it !

A French gangster film set in Paris with a very thin plot, lots of blood & gore, little or no character studies or plot lines, violent misogynist sex. I kept watching this and waiting for a plot to emerge. It didn't happen. The film starts with episodes of the various factions or gangs involved. One gang member is imprisoned. From then the film simply becomes a series of killings and murders until few of them are left. Reservoir Dogs it is not. Meserine it is not. Ronin it is not. The screenplay appears merely to be a pastiche of the best and worst of American gangster genre. The characters here are portrayed as cold violent individuals. Some characters have no apparent place within a thin plot - just filling up road kill. All this violent mayhem in a capital city and not a single policeman in sight? I found this film to be without much merit and not one that I would watch again, or indeed recommend.