I won't beat around the bush: I like this, and I see much to admire in it. Some aspects are notably stronger or weaker than others, however, and not everything fits together perfectly; I don't think the overall impact is perfectly robust. I see why the picture earned such acclaim from some corners, not to mention many nominations and awards. I'm just not sure that I entirely agree with that perspective, for it's only in bits and pieces that I see the glimmers of greatness that would mark it as thusly deserving. Heavily emphasizing the point, there comes a discrete point when 'The night of the 12th' ('La nuit du 12') rather abruptly gels in a way it hadn't before, starting with a fragment of one scene that hits far harder than anything else in these two hours, and following through to the end with tighter writing than we got at any other time. That discrete point, however, is at almost exactly the time when there are twenty minutes left in the total runtime. I can name no few other titles that similarly found their best strength in the last stretch; on the other hand, other such titles haven't won multiple prominent awards for Best Film.
There are terrific ideas in the screenplay, a credit to filmmaker Dominik Moll and co-writer Gilles Marchand as they adapt Pauline Guéna's book. The core investigation is deeply interesting, and I repeat that the back end finds a burst of vitality that pointedly feels much sharper and more affecting than the preceding length. As part and parcel of the primary thread of the investigation the feature also explores the frustrating drudgery of police work, with leads that turn out to be dead-ends and a surfeit of waiting, watching, talking, and recording. Hand in hand with this, moreover, is an extra shrewd element of secondarily examining the personalities of these police investigators at different stages of their lives and careers. There's the fresh-faced rookie, idealistic and hopeful; the embittered veteran, struggling to maintain composure and all but at the end of his rope; in the middle, beyond youthful optimism and yet free of wizened cynicism, lies protagonist Yohan - knowledgeable, experienced, concentrated, and determined. Other supporting figures among their coworkers are a mixture of faceless workers and chuckleheads, and later we meet a newcomer whose resolve seems to exceed Yohan's. All these central storytelling notions provide a firm foundation for all else that 'The night of the 12th' is or could be.
The writing is also the source of my biggest criticisms, however. Chief among these is that the script further tries to touch upon the terrible truths of gender dynamics where violence and crime and concerned. Some characters question the nature of the relationships between men and women, with men committing the vast majority of crimes; other characters despairingly observe that women are commonly the victims, and the victims are blamed in spirit if not in letter as their private lives are scrutinized and judged. These are important matters to touch upon, but wherever scenes and dialogue do so in this instance the result is sadly clunky and unconvincing, in part as if Moll and Marchand had difficulty finding a way to weave them into the script. There's also the issue of how characters are written in general, for while the individuals that the police question are rather unlikable, so are no few of the investigators themselves; even those that are most honest and earnest in their profession stumble into lines of questioning that come across as disproportionately aggressive and badgering. With that in mind I suppose one could argue that one thing this flick has going for it, despite centering police, is that it does NOT specifically fall under the colloquial umbrella of "copaganda," but it me it feels more that we as an audience are nevertheless intended to be cheering for these cops who don't necessarily deserve our respect.
As one last criticism, I would suggest that not all the odds and ends fit together flawlessly, including even the core elements noted above. I think this comes down to the pacing of the plot development, for in my estimation we're forty-five minutes into the viewing experience before there comes a beat that especially commands our attention. Except in fits and starts, and again with the last twenty minutes being foremost, the storytelling at large comes off as a little soft, and less than perfectly grabbing. Alongside some choices of editing that I think are unfortunate, that softness every now and again results in a juxtaposition of components that is a half-step away from being parodying, which is the precise opposite intent of the movie. Suffice to say that there are some rough edges, and on the basis of these my own esteem of the whole falls a tad short.
Be all this as it may, when all is said and done this is very worthwhile, with a great deal more to appreciate than to lament. I repeat that the writing at its best is excellent, and Moll's direction as he orchestrates shots and scenes; I very much adore Moll's 2011 work 'The monk,' and when 'The night of the 12th' is firing on all cylinders I see the same keen mind at work. This is well made in most regards, really, from production design and art direction, to hair, makeup, to cinematography, and sound design. With a couple exceptions I'm a big fan of Olivier Marguerit's score, a varied and dynamic panoply of themes that do a fine job of capturing the mood and bolstering the tension of the proceedings. In fact, setting aside those last twenty minutes to which I keep returning, Marguerit's music might outshine the splendid root ideas in terms of broad value - and I would say the same of the acting. It's not that anyone gives an utterly revelatory performance, but every single actor is solid; even as some stand out above others in the casting, there are select moments scattered throughout that grab our attention extra hard. From those stars of the most prominence, Bastien Bouillon and Bouli Lanners, to those in smaller supporting parts like Mouna Soualem, David Murgia, and Pierre Lottin, all are marvelous as they embrace the somber spirit of the project and breathe life into their roles and scenes, and I'm very pleased with how good the acting is.
I'd be lying if I said that this didn't in some measure fall shy of my expectations; there are just enough areas of trouble that I can't bring myself to fully stand by the high regard it has otherwise garnered. All the same, for the level on which this film operates, such words are more about semantics than substance. Faults and all 'The night of the 12th' is overall a fantastic crime drama, and I think anyone who appreciates the genre will find much to love here. Recommended above all for anyone with a major impetus to watch, this is well worth checking out if you have the opportunity.
There are terrific ideas in the screenplay, a credit to filmmaker Dominik Moll and co-writer Gilles Marchand as they adapt Pauline Guéna's book. The core investigation is deeply interesting, and I repeat that the back end finds a burst of vitality that pointedly feels much sharper and more affecting than the preceding length. As part and parcel of the primary thread of the investigation the feature also explores the frustrating drudgery of police work, with leads that turn out to be dead-ends and a surfeit of waiting, watching, talking, and recording. Hand in hand with this, moreover, is an extra shrewd element of secondarily examining the personalities of these police investigators at different stages of their lives and careers. There's the fresh-faced rookie, idealistic and hopeful; the embittered veteran, struggling to maintain composure and all but at the end of his rope; in the middle, beyond youthful optimism and yet free of wizened cynicism, lies protagonist Yohan - knowledgeable, experienced, concentrated, and determined. Other supporting figures among their coworkers are a mixture of faceless workers and chuckleheads, and later we meet a newcomer whose resolve seems to exceed Yohan's. All these central storytelling notions provide a firm foundation for all else that 'The night of the 12th' is or could be.
The writing is also the source of my biggest criticisms, however. Chief among these is that the script further tries to touch upon the terrible truths of gender dynamics where violence and crime and concerned. Some characters question the nature of the relationships between men and women, with men committing the vast majority of crimes; other characters despairingly observe that women are commonly the victims, and the victims are blamed in spirit if not in letter as their private lives are scrutinized and judged. These are important matters to touch upon, but wherever scenes and dialogue do so in this instance the result is sadly clunky and unconvincing, in part as if Moll and Marchand had difficulty finding a way to weave them into the script. There's also the issue of how characters are written in general, for while the individuals that the police question are rather unlikable, so are no few of the investigators themselves; even those that are most honest and earnest in their profession stumble into lines of questioning that come across as disproportionately aggressive and badgering. With that in mind I suppose one could argue that one thing this flick has going for it, despite centering police, is that it does NOT specifically fall under the colloquial umbrella of "copaganda," but it me it feels more that we as an audience are nevertheless intended to be cheering for these cops who don't necessarily deserve our respect.
As one last criticism, I would suggest that not all the odds and ends fit together flawlessly, including even the core elements noted above. I think this comes down to the pacing of the plot development, for in my estimation we're forty-five minutes into the viewing experience before there comes a beat that especially commands our attention. Except in fits and starts, and again with the last twenty minutes being foremost, the storytelling at large comes off as a little soft, and less than perfectly grabbing. Alongside some choices of editing that I think are unfortunate, that softness every now and again results in a juxtaposition of components that is a half-step away from being parodying, which is the precise opposite intent of the movie. Suffice to say that there are some rough edges, and on the basis of these my own esteem of the whole falls a tad short.
Be all this as it may, when all is said and done this is very worthwhile, with a great deal more to appreciate than to lament. I repeat that the writing at its best is excellent, and Moll's direction as he orchestrates shots and scenes; I very much adore Moll's 2011 work 'The monk,' and when 'The night of the 12th' is firing on all cylinders I see the same keen mind at work. This is well made in most regards, really, from production design and art direction, to hair, makeup, to cinematography, and sound design. With a couple exceptions I'm a big fan of Olivier Marguerit's score, a varied and dynamic panoply of themes that do a fine job of capturing the mood and bolstering the tension of the proceedings. In fact, setting aside those last twenty minutes to which I keep returning, Marguerit's music might outshine the splendid root ideas in terms of broad value - and I would say the same of the acting. It's not that anyone gives an utterly revelatory performance, but every single actor is solid; even as some stand out above others in the casting, there are select moments scattered throughout that grab our attention extra hard. From those stars of the most prominence, Bastien Bouillon and Bouli Lanners, to those in smaller supporting parts like Mouna Soualem, David Murgia, and Pierre Lottin, all are marvelous as they embrace the somber spirit of the project and breathe life into their roles and scenes, and I'm very pleased with how good the acting is.
I'd be lying if I said that this didn't in some measure fall shy of my expectations; there are just enough areas of trouble that I can't bring myself to fully stand by the high regard it has otherwise garnered. All the same, for the level on which this film operates, such words are more about semantics than substance. Faults and all 'The night of the 12th' is overall a fantastic crime drama, and I think anyone who appreciates the genre will find much to love here. Recommended above all for anyone with a major impetus to watch, this is well worth checking out if you have the opportunity.