Anthony Zimmer (2005)
Dir: Jérôme Salle Romance / Mystery / Thriller
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Overview
Anthony Zimmer is a French thriller film first released in 2005,
directed by Jérôme Salle.
The film stars Sophie Marceau, Yvan Attal, Sami Frey, Gilles Lellouche and Daniel Olbrychski.
Our overall rating for this film is: good.
Synopsis
Anthony Zimmer is one of the world’s most wanted criminals – a notorious fraudster who
has a knack of disappearing without a trace. His nemesis is Akerman, a ruthless
cop who is prepared to use whatever it takes to bring him to justice. On a train
heading for the Côte d’Azur, an attractive young woman named Chiara makes the acquaintance
of François, a translator who is taking a break after separating from his girlfriend.
Chiara invites François to spend his holiday with her and, naturally, he accepts.
As a gift, she gives him a watch engraved with the name ’Anthony Zimmer’.
François soon realises that something is wrong, and when trigger-happy gunmen break
into his hotel suite he suspects Chiara is not what she seems. Appearances can be
very deceptive...
Film Review
This stylish début feature from director Jérôme Salle is a spirited
attempt to breathe new life into the mystery thriller, a genre which has enjoyed a recent
revival both in France and America. The film looks good – it’s well shot, well-paced
and strikes a fair balance between full-on action and character-based romantic drama.
Its main flaw is that it feels sometimes like a crude pastiche of earlier examples of
the genre. The Hitchcockian references and thriller clichés are laid on so
heavily that you’re easily wrong-footed into thinking this is a parody, not a serious
attempt at a straight thriller-drama. Fortunately, whilst the plot is pretty ludicrous
(you have to laugh at the final plot twist), its production values are rather good.
The high quality of the design and camera work is matched, if not excelled, by the charismatic
performances from the lead actors, Yvan Attal and Sophie Marceau.
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Related links
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Credits
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