Film Review
The name Alexandre Arcady is not one that is readily associated with
the kind of well-considered grown-up cinema that appeals to critics and
more discerning film-goers.
Films such as
Le
Grand Pardon (1982) and
Entre chiens et loups (2002)
exemplify Arcady's soulless copycat style of cinema - all gloss and no real
substance. But there are other films from this flamboyant director that are somewhat
more substantial, showing a genuine flair and a real feeling for character. Of these,
the one that stands out is his 1997 film
K, a slick and pacy
thriller based on Guy Konopnicki's 1994 novel
Pas de Kaddisch pour Sylberstein.
Contrary to expectations, Patrick Bruel turns out to be surprisingly effective in the lead role, the
kind of tough guy role you'd expect to go to someone like Jean Reno or (in
a previous decade) Lino Ventura. Bruel's solid turn is ably
supported by such capable actors as Marthe Keller and Jean-François Stévenin.
The most enjoyable performance is supplied by Pinkas Braun, who
almost steals the film as the mysterious Joseph Katz (a name - Joseph K. - that immediately
has Kafkaesque connotations).
At the time the film was made, the policier was beginning to make a comeback
in France after a decade and a half in which it had virtually disappeared from French
cinema.
K is a film that respects the conventions of the classic
French policier but gives it a whole new modern feel. Whilst the
plot is too convoluted for its own good and results in the film being
a little too long and cumbersome, it holds the attention. The only
real let down is that the narrative tries to bring in too many peripheral elements,
such as a somewhat forced connection with the 1990-91 Gulf War. But
this is a consistent failing of Alexandre Arcady's cinema - an inability
to separate the wheat from the chaff. Thankfully,
K
offers far more wheat than chaff.
© James Travers 2005
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Next Alexandre Arcady film:
Là-bas... mon pays (2000)
Film Synopsis
From childhood, Sam Bellamy has enjoyed the company of his chess mentor, Joseph Katz,
a Jewish survivor of the Nazi holocaust. One day, a German appears in Katz's
shop. Recognising the man as one of his erstwhile tormenters, the Jew kills him.
Sam, a policeman, allows Katz to walk away, but it is not long before Katz's pursuers
find him. Believing Katz to have perished in a gas explosion, Sam travels to Berlin
to try to discover who would want to kill his friend. There, he meets a young German
woman, Emma Güter, a communist sympathiser who sheds some light on the mystery.
Sam is then abducted by Nora Winter, a member of an Israeli commando unit which is tracking
down some missing art treasures. As Sam pursues his investigation, he unwittingly
becomes a pawn in a deadly game of international politics…
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.