Pour elle

Anything for Her is a French film caught between the two things we've come to expect from French film-makers and their cinematic form from recent years. The film is one part harrowing tale of supposed injustice, complete with character study in the form of a desperate male on a mission which blurs the lines between right and wrong; while it's additionally one part relentless thriller, a film that thrives on its seemingly endless passage of scenes that put the lead through a harrowing grinder of dedication to a cause, but will not be ashamed to include the odd action set piece or fight scene. The film calls to mind recent French films Irréversible and The Beat That my Heart Skipped in its attention to the study of the male putting themselves through Hell for sake of family members-come-loved ones; but Anything for Her carries a fast, loose aesthetic which additionally calls to mind something like Distrcit 13, or any other recently produced Luc Besson feature, thus placing it tantalisingly on the line between these two 'types'.

In fact the film provides that somewhat amusing; B-movie inspired; typically self-aware sensibility going into it. The cover for the film is a gruff looking and gun-wielding individual named Julien (Lindon) standing along side his wife Lisa (Kruger), complete with the tag-line (cue cheesy American voice-over trailer voice) "How far would you go for the one you loved?" slapped to the side of it all. The film does not hang around with an extended point of attack, and it isn't long before the premise of trying to get one's wife out of prison by whichever way possible is kick-started into action. Overall, I think the film wants us to enjoy Julien's striving to rescue his beloved wife from the system which has imprisoned her after society put her in; enjoy it more-so than feel absolutely terrible and really humbled alá the aforementioned examples as this man is put through some pretty harsh paces. If this sensation does wash over us at whatever point during the film, it might be because the couple have a young son whom the film, through the editing, often breaks off to encompass – just to make sure we're definitely on this guy's side.

Criticisms aside, I bought into it by the end. There can be no doubt that most will get their kicks out of the film by way of the rock 'em-sock'em approach it has, but the film was more of a character piece than I expected it to be, with Julien being transformed from a seemingly upstanding family man whom teaches at his local school. Indeed, the recognition Julien is deservedly given towards the end in regards to his shift is duly delivered when, in an ironic manner, certain individuals stare at some of his plans from earlier and exclaim that he was 'just an average guy' before being forced to come to terms with what has transpired.

The film sees police barge into the family's home and arrest wife Lisa, rather horrifically whilst she's discovering blood on her clothes in the bathroom. The police's grounds for arrest is based on a murder Lisa supposedly committed, that she argued with her boss; waited for them to travel to a car park; bludgeoned them to death with a fire extinguisher (what is is with the French and fire extinguishers as murder weapons in films?) before casually driving off home. Later on, we get a 'true' depiction of what happened when Lisa flashes back to the events in which it turns out someone else did what was pinned on her. Regardless, we're told she's innocent rather than going through the motions of finding out that she actually is – the film is not of the detective variety, but of the jailbreak variety.

Julien begins his transformation when it appears Lisa's mental condition is worsening in prison, and thus begins to reject her insulin dosages in an attempt to take one's life. With a child a few years older than what he was when Lisa was taken and desperation settling in when it emerges he may loose Lisa a second time, Julien springs into action. As a boxer boxing above his weight; as an individual completely out of his depth and as a fish nowhere near any water, he is an initial failure at his attempts to do what's right. By seeing him ambushed and beaten by two people he attempts to obtain fake passports from, the crashing reality that the road is long, and hard, hits home. But he climbs his way back up, by way of ambushing drug dealers and shoving his way into people's houses at gunpoint; this before we feel a transition of sorts is in progress. This is a transition the film, remember, wants you to recall is driven by pure love for another human being as well as the supposed false imprisonment of said human being; so it's all perfectly fine and all right to root for this guy and his actions, correct? That is if you buy into what the film offers in this sense.

So the film is an amusing trawl through France's underworld, as con artists; escape artists; counterfeiters and gangsters all make separate appearances. To the film's credit, director Fred Cavayé knows how to shift from horror and terror; to thrills and spills; to sheer suspense in equal measure. His film delivers on a visceral level of such a premise being executed in the manner it is with a series of scenes that exist to evoke such extreme reactions of pity, sorrow and willing. All this while its lead, practically the only real 'character' in the entire film, goes through a transition which offers a backbone to all the mayhem. It's not one of the best French efforts from recent times, but as far as this current spate of usually Luc Besson infused; kinetic; pleasure-aim; 'bang-for-your-buck' films go, Anything for Her is surprisingly above average.

Julien and Lisa are a happy loving couple living quiet, ordinary lives in their quiet, ordinary apartment with their baby son Oscar. Then one evening the doorbell rings, Julien opens the door and their lives are thrown into chaos. Police swarm into the apartment, pounce on Lisa and arrest her for the murder of her boss. Three years later Lisa has lost her last appeal against her 20 year jail term and is finally giving up hope – and giving up on life. She stops taking insulin trying to slowly commit suicide. Julien is a desperate man. He tracks down a notorious criminal who has written a best-selling book on his several successful escapes from prison. And so his plan begins. 'Anything For her' is a typical solid French thriller. There are no sudden twists or turns in a plot that relies on the natural tension of the situation to keep it going. The meticulous planning of the jail-break is compelling as you watch Julien turn his apartment into effectively an operations room. The walls are lined with maps and photographs, with graphs and plane schedules, and with heavily underlined questions such as "Escape Route?" He tells Lisa nothing about what he's doing and begs her to just hang on. He intends to sell her mother's house to raise the money they'll need to start a new life but then Lisa is told she is to be transferred to another prison and so Julien must speed up his plans and raise the money somewhere else. The tension and the pressure of it on Julien is almost unbearable and never lets up. The director is determined that there be no distraction from this, his main focus of the film and quickly shows, practically at the start, what actually happened to Lisa's boss so that that whole aspect of the story is quickly dismissed and forgotten about. It's not an all-out masterpiece by any means but it is a very entertaining, at times gripping film that does exactly what it says on the tin. Vincent Lindon is practically a veteran of these things and forces you to feel real empathy for Julien while Diane Kruger does well with what is really a much smaller part, fully conveying the nightmare of prison life and the physical decline it brings.

So, what would YOU do if your spouse is convicted on a murder charge and sentenced to 20 years in jail? The film explores to what lengths someone might go, and it takes the viewer on a journey that is anything but expected. And it does it in convincing style and fashion and has you glued to your seat from beginning to end.

OK, Julien enters a world that makes him do things that we should by rights not find acceptable. And yet, one can do nothing but root for him to succeed, regardless of his methods.

I absolutely loved the power and speed of this film. It's action-packed, but also has a lot of depth.

A superb thriller throughout!

Julien (Vincent Lindon) is an unprepossessing French teacher, happily married to Lisa (Diane Kruger), a wife he deeply loves. Their idyllic suburban life is rudely interrupted, however, when the police shockingly crash their home and arrest Lisa on suspicion of the brutal murder of her boss. With Lisa's fingerprints on the weapon, and the victim's blood on her jacket, she is found guilty and sentenced to twenty years in prison. If you like your suspense powerful and unnerving, do not hesitate to seek out Anything For Her (Pour Elle), the debut effort of French director Fred Cavayé, an enormously entertaining thriller that delivers a high level of satisfaction.

Imprisoned for a crime she probably did not commit (the director offers two possible scenarios but it is clear which one is the more likely), Lisa, still proclaiming her innocence, faces long, dark days ahead without her husband and their young son Oscar (Lancelot Roch). Overwhelmed with sadness, Julien becomes single-minded in his drive to reunite the family. After three years, when his attorney tells him that Lisa stands no chance before the Appeals Court and Lisa becomes suicidal, refusing to take her insulin shots, Julien knows that he must take matters into his own hands and will stop at nothing to accomplish his goal.

Locating an ex-con who has written books about his attempts to break out of jail, Julien convinces him to tutor him on the do's and don'ts of prison escape, telling the ex-con that he wants to teach the author's experience to his students. His ultimate plan, though, is not revealed either to Lisa, Julien's parents (Liliane Rovere and Olivier Perrier), or to the audience, which serves to greatly enhance the suspense. To save the woman he loves from certain death in prison, however, Julien must transform himself from laid-back school teacher to action hero, pushing himself far beyond the limits of what is reasonable. While attempting to obtain false papers and new identities, he comes into contact with some very unpleasant local criminal types and finds himself no longer reluctant to use violence to accomplish his ends.

Supported by an excellent script by the director, outstanding cinematography by Alain Duplaintier, and a moody score by Klaus Badelt, Anything For Her is entertaining, riveting, and ultimately a very moving love story. None of it would be very convincing, however, if not for the outstanding performances of Lindon and Kruger, especially Lindon whose sudden personality change requires great skill to pull off. Lindon's eyes convey powerful emotion that is not desperation but a strong and unyielding determination that serves as a catalyst for the events that build to the film's heart pounding climax. Although Anything For Her has been criticized for being "implausible", when an individual's every act is consumed with passion and overwhelming intention, then the implausible will most certainly become the expected.

This is a terrific film ,and does exactly what cinema should do - it makes you think, and is very entertaining. You can't just slump in front of a film like this, shovelling popcorn down your front. You have to join in. What would YOU do if someone you loved so passionately was wronged by the law? This takes it to the full extent; taking the law into your own hands - its spaghetti era Eastwood - type storytelling, told with passion, humour and guile. Cinematically, its great - how come the French so seldom make bad looking films? The acting is fantastic, with both leads acquitting themselves with great style. Like most good thriller films, it goes close to stretching credibility at times, but never veers into the ridiculous or implausible. Also weaved into the film is a vein of good fortune which drives the story along and seems in the end to be their just dessert. One small criticism; it seemed set up for a sequel - surely film makers of such taste would not lead down that road? No sequel thanks -it stands as a great piece of work as it is.Leave well alone.