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Rivals review
:. Director: Jacques Maillot
:. Starring: François Cluzet, Guillaume Canet
:. Running Time: 1:46
:. Year: 2008
:. Country: France
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Leather jackets, tight jeans, big moustaches, Renault 5 and disco sounds: there is no doubt, we're in the 70's. Filled with nostalgia, Jacques Maillot's Rivals brings us back to an era that was marked by Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon's cop and gangster movies.
Loosely based on a true story, the film tells the story of two brothers, a cop (Guillaume Canet — Love Me If You Dare, Merry Christmas) and an ex-con (François Cluzet — Tell No One, Paris) whose relationship takes a tumble when the latter returns to his old demons.
It is undeniable that writer/director Jacques Maillot makes a great effort at recreating the atmosphere of 70's French crime dramas, even giving his cinematography an aged look and, for a while, he successfully manages to capture our attention, especially as we follow the path of the "bad brother" trying to get back into society the right way. Mr. Cluzet's incarnation of a rough but likable character is what keeps the movie on track, making us root for him to get a second chance. Unfortunately the movie takes a wrong — and expected — turn when Mr. Cluzet's character snaps, for no real reason.
While his frustration working crappy jobs is understandable, there is no real build-up to justify such a radical change in his persona, who suddenly goes from good to bad. From there, we fall into another movie, the kind of French gangster flick we've seen zillion times. All of the clichés are here: gunfights, whores, alcohol, drugs, gambling and the confrontation between these two enemies/brothers (usually it's between 2 childhood friends).
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against gangster movies that follow cinematic conventions and I've enjoyed my share of Jean-Paul Belmondo (Flic ou Voyou, Le Marginal) and Alain Delon (Un Flic, Big Gun) ventures in that genre; their films also greatly influenced current Hong-Kong cinema and the likes of Quentin Tarantino.
Rather, what turns Rivals into a failure is the fact that most characters have been poorly drafted. Mr. Maillot penned a succession of cartoonesque figures that, whether they're good or bad, are sure to make all the wrong decisions, with no other reason than to create a strong sense of drama for the picture. As we watch them make one big mistake after another, the film looses the credibility it's been trying so hard to build, turning into an implausible piece that takes itself too seriously. As a result, when the big dramatic climax comes, we're left stone cold, which totally undermines the premise and existence of this film.
Fred Thom
 Reviews of French Movies: 2012 - present
French Films: 1998 - 2011 Reviews
French Music Reviews
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