bdekeyser

This has to be the drive to end all car movies, and the most amazing thing is that the thing, according to Lelouch was done in one take. Lelouch says he met with his cameraman at 5 am near the porte Dauphine, rigged up his Mercedes with a camera at the front and a remote control for the diaphragm, in the car and then floored it all the way up to Montmartre, with complete disregard for any traffic lights and even one-way streets. Only one look-out was posted to cover the exit of an alley in the Rue Rivoli. The Mercedes was his own and chosen for its smooth suspension which accounts for the steady image but, still according to the director, the ride was repeated a week later this time using a Ferrari. The sound of this engine was then used for the soundtrack. It kind of makes sense, if you take into account Lelouch deep understanding of the solitary act of driving as he displayed so brilliantly in 'Un homme et une femme'. I always felt uneasy with the car chase in Bullit, which is so often referred to as the industry standard , particularly since the chase seemed so implausible at times even lame, and the same cars keep appearing in the shot. Even an otherwise odd film like 'The Burglars' (Omar Sharif & JP Belmondo wreck a couple of old bangers in Athens in 1971)by Henri Verneuil was able to do a whole lot better than that. No : it has to be Lelouch, with Frankenheimer (Ronin!) a close second.

This is an excellent film. It tells the typical story of a non-conformist city-( Antwerp)-police-detective worn out by the city and his job and having to team up with a young flash new partner from the province.Of course he has to have trouble in his private life as well... A cliché, yes, but so was Maigret, and you never tire of him. The beauty of this work lies in the sincerity of the story and its characters. The actors in the film ( with the notable exception of Herbert Flack who is a spectacular ham) are all perfectly credible and speak and act as any real person would. Marc Jansens' performance as the title character is spot on and his understated reading of the role make him a maverick in Belgian movies.

Zaman may not be a Palme d'Or winner but it's a great little film and its influence can be traced in many of Belgian 'tranche-de vie' type TV series and cinema film on cops and crime. (some of the crooks depicted in the film are none too loosely based on real life gangsters).

I found this film to be very disturbing. For all the glitzy acting, excellent cinematography, and elaborate plot twists; this film does nothing but sustain racial and gender stereotyping. To my great disappointment it is nothing more than just another Hollywood production where everything is simple, there is no gray and the good cowboy will come to the rescue at the end of the film. I think films like these are frivolous and even dangerous, they may leave you with the idea that you've seen something 'that really makes you think' while in fact the stereotypes have just been reinforced. Shame on you Mr Haggis!