Film Review
En jouant Dans la compagnie des hommes
is the cinematic equivalent of an army assault course - tough,
challenging and most definitely not for the faint-hearted. The
subject is not without some interest, although admittedly not everyone
would be motivated to sit through a two-hour long film about corporate
battles. However, Arnaud Desplechin's treatment of it is
demanding in the extreme. Anyone who finds Jean-Luc Godard's
films of the 1980s and 1990s hard-going is advised to give this film a
very wide berth. Whilst the film has a great deal of
originality in the way it is shot and constructed, it is singularly
lacking in charm and feels horribly like a shallow exercise in
cinematic intellectualism for the sake of it. The
performances - which are generally pretty good - are stifled by the
extremely self-conscious artistry in the filming and editing, and the
end result fails to satisfy either as film drama or as an attempt at
deconstructed cinematic art.
© James Travers 2008
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Arnaud Desplechin film:
Rois et reine (2004)
Film Synopsis
Edward Bond's play 'In the Company of Men' is in the process of being turned
into a film. The director assembles a number of actors for screen tests
and then proceeds to the rehearsals. It is a film about how powerful
men in today's ruthless corporate world wage war against one another in the
relentless pursuit of wealth and even more power. Two large business
empires are gearing up for a fierce showdown. An international distribution
company run by Hammer intends launching a takeover bid of an armaments group
owned by Jurrieu. The latter's son, Léonard, is anxious to prove
himself, but he is naive and inexperienced, and in trying to impress his
father he makes himself a pawn in Hammer's game of corporate politics.
Realising that he has been caught in a trap, Léonard has only one
option if he is to prevent his father's company from being swallowed up by
his fierce rival...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
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Film Credits
- Director: Arnaud Desplechin
- Script: Edward Bond, Emmanuel Bourdieu, Arnaud Desplechin, Nicolas Saada
- Cinematographer: Stéphane Fontaine
- Music: Krishna Levy, Paul Weller
- Cast: Sami Bouajila (Léonard),
Jean-Paul Roussillon (Henri Jurrieu),
Wladimir Yordanoff (Hammer),
László Szabó (Claude Doniol),
Anna Mouglalis (Ophélie),
Bakary Sangaré (Jonas Servun),
Hippolyte Girardot (Willian De Lille),
Anne Consigny (Therese Jurrieu),
Xavier Beja (Laerte),
Arnaud Desplechin (Himself),
Nicolas Saada (Himself)
- Country: France
- Language: French
- Support: Color
- Runtime: 121 min
- Aka: Playing 'In the Company of Men'