Atirador de Elite

So many good actors in such a disappointing movie. It looks like it was written in parts by different writers who did not know what the predecessor had written. Characters are superficial and not credible. For the first time, I found Daniel Auteuil not playing well.

I'm being generous, I know, but consider the misleading 5.something score for this movie to be an anomaly. I first thought this was a 'Res Dogs' copy but it developed into a thoughtful thriller with enough plot to make it compelling. The absence of an obvious 'hero' figure is, perhaps, an obstacle to begin, but a strong ensemble cast contributes to maintaining interest in the conclusion of the movie. The question at the heart of the film, if there is one, may lie with the motivation of the Policeman, rather than the identity of the traitor. A genuinely classy European thriller of a type that can no longer be considered rare ( tell No-One, The Secrets...) but which is well worth a look.

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Detective Mattei (Daniel Auteuil) is on the trail of Vincent Kaminski (Mathieu Kassovitz) a rooftop sniper who took out a bunch of police officers while a daring bank robbery was in progress. But as he digs deeper in to the case, he uncovers even more dark, disturbing secrets.

It always seems to be the case that the continentals seem to make the better quality films, in terms of writing and general production values, and if their market doesn't get the best exposure, it certainly receives the greatest critical acclaim and there are quite a few who want to imitate it. They seem to come up with all the original ideas, that's for sure, and that's something Hollywood certainly can't claim. This familiar truth may be the case with The Lookout, even if it's not maybe the best example, perhaps.

It's an intricate, absorbing thriller, quite faultless but still unremarkable, but you can't help but get the feeling that someone, sometime will try and do it again. ***

I loved this movie. It got going really quickly, and there was plenty of edge seat action throughout, shot brilliantly, with great locations, and the quieter moments were filled with intense anxiety or dark menace, also done superbly, with great acting, and well cast. There are other sniper movies, but I can't remember seeing one in this context, as an element to a heist or to disrupt police actions. But there is greater originality than that, which I'd love to reveal but that would be a spoiler. The story is complex, and the characters deep. The lead may be familiar to others who have seen the supreme French spy drama The Bureau, and interestingly, plays a very similar role, that of the silent type, which he does with aplomb. I would have liked the movie to have run a little longer, to allow for more of the originality. It needed that to develop more dread, horror and danger. If any movie-makers read this, please take that on board if ever there is to be an English version. Loved the direction, colour and style of this movie. It was truly professional. Terrific!

It had to happen: After watching many good french crime films, I found the first stinker. It's the worst kind of film, thinking it's smart when it's not. The lookout is just plain stupid. The plot has so many holes that it looks like swiss cheese. The film is totally unbalanced, trying to be many things at once: a cop film, a crime film about bank robbers, a serial killer film, a jail film and even a whodunit. The characters are weak and cliché. It sucks because the cast was good. I wonder why Daniel Auteuil made this awful film. He deserves better. I was misled by Auteuil and Placido (Romanzo Criminale is highly recommended). But why they turned this mockery of a script into a film is just beyond me. I hope the screenwriters didn't give up their day jobs.