Vidocq (2001) - film review

When the eminent Parisian detective Vidocq is killed in strange circumstances, his official biographer, Etienne Boisset, sets himself the task of tracking down his murderer.  Before his death, Vidocq was in pursuit of a mysterious alchemist who, it was believed, killed three powerful men with artificial lightning.  As Boisset’s investigation continues, it begins to appear that someone is following him.  Each person he encounters dies brutally after speaking to him…

Definitely one for the Lara Croft generation.  Not so much a film as a spectacular collage of special effects loosely assembled into an implausible, incoherent storyline.  Whilst the film undoubtedly breaks new ground with its use of digital technology (made possible by the latest high-definition digital cameras), it fails spectacularly as a piece of cinema.  Anyone who is not put off by the excessively flashy special effects and the gratuitously visceral murders will most probably struggle to find any satisfaction in either the acting performances (which are at best uninspired) or the story (which would be an insult to the intelligence of a particularly retarded ten year old child).   In fact the film can only appeal to those who have next to no appreciation of the aesthetics of cinema and/or are addicted to seriously violent computer games (and consequently don’t have much contact with the real world).  The film’s director, Pitof, followed this with the even more risible Catwoman (2004), conclusive proof that special effects gurus rarely make the grade as serious film directors.

© James Travers 2004

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