Anthony Zimmer (2005)
Directed by Jérôme Salle

Film Review

Director Jérôme Salle makes an impressive debut with this stylish modern thriller, which does it damnedest to breathe new life into a genre that in recent years has started to look a little stale. With the exception of Olivier Marchal's 36 Quai des Orfèvres (2004) and Cédric Khan's Roberto Succo (2001), the French thriller has been a little dreary of late. Anthony Zimmer is not immune from cliché and its Hitchcockian allusions are far from subtle but it is an impressively crafted piece that strikes a fair balance between full-on action and character-based drama.

Admittedly, it is a challenge to take seriously a plot that is so riddled with implausible developments and most of the secondary characters are lacking in depth. Fortunately, the glossy production values and slick mise-en-scène prevent us from dwelling on these shortcomings, and strong central performances from the charismatic leads Yvan Attal and Sophie Marceau give the film at least the illusion of a prestige thriller. Salle followed this up with another action thriller in the same mould, Largo Winch (2008) - a film that proved to be a huge hit and gave rise to a sequel, The Burma Conspiracy (2011), which Salle also directed. In 2010, Anthony Zimmer was honoured with an American remake entitled The Tourist, with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie taking the lead roles.

Film Synopsis

One of the world's most notorious criminals, Anthony Zimmer is doggedly pursued by the police and Russian mafia but he has a knack of evading capture.  The only man who stands any chance of capturing him is Akerman, a determined detective who has sworn to bring him to book.  He knows that one day Zimmer will return to his former lover Chiara Manzoni - and when that day comes he will be ready.  On a high-speed train bound for the French Riviera, Chiara meets François Taillandier, a translator in his late thirties who is about to take a holiday after breaking up with his girlfriend.  The two hit it off straight away and agree to spend their holiday together.  To show her gratitude, Chaira presents François with a watch engraved with the name of her erstwhile partner, Anthony Zimmer.  When he becomes the target of two trigger-happy hitmen, François realises that Chaira may not be what she pretends...