Reviews

What are you looking for in a French thriller? I suspect you will find it in here. Hitmen, hookers, dodgy politicians, betrayal, Parisian chases... It's an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours if you are a fan of the genre... the cops aren't as greasy as those in Braquo or Spiral, the politicians not quite as odious as they undoubtedly could be, but vile enough.

Good Gallic Noir, but Diva set the bar very high, so....8.

Speaking of which, there's a nice wee tip of the hat to Diva in there too.... see if you spot it.

A lot has been made of the sets and backgrounds.. Philippe Druillet, the artist behind the sets, is an iconic sci-fi graphic novelist. He created 'Lone Sloane'in the mid-60s; unlikely, then, that he is much influenced by the Riddick franchise as suggested above. Anyway, he was never going to come up with anything conceptually accurate to the 14th Century, that's for sure! Not a good idea to get hung up on historical accuracy of plot or costumes, either. Druon wrote a novel loosely based on historical fact. The curse on which the whole premise is based is folklore, even the eye-watering demise of Edward II may be urban mythology... It is a wee bit like remaking "I Clavdivs" but with a Giger/Lynch vibe going on. The stylised acting and shoogly sets of the original with some seriously dodgy Goth overlays. It didn't impress me as much as the original, but French TV in the 70s was truly awful and expectations are so much higher....murderous Moreau worth the price of admission!