L.627 (1992)

This gritty police drama shows us the underbelly of the Parisian drug trade. Lulu is a tough streetwise narcotics cop who, like a Frank Serpico or a Dirty Harry Callahan, doesn't play by ... See full summary »

Director:

Bertrand Tavernier

Writers:

Michel Alexandre, Bertrand Tavernier

Stars:

Didier Bezace, Jean-Paul Comart, Charlotte Kady

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Didier Bezace	...	Lucien 'Lulu' Marguet
Jean-Paul Comart	...	Dodo
Charlotte Kady	...	Marie
Jean-Roger Milo	...	Manuel
Nils Tavernier	...	Vincent
Philippe Torreton	...	Antoine
Lara Guirao	...	Cecile
Cécile Garcia-Fogel	...	Kathy Marguet
Claude Brosset	...	Adore
Fabrice Roux	...	Toulouse
Jean-Luc Abel	...	J.P.
Martial	...	Rambo
Jacky Pratoussy	...	Mario (as Jacques Pratoussy)
Didier Castello	...	Willy
Jacques Rosny	...	Tulipe 4

Storyline

This gritty police drama shows us the underbelly of the Parisian drug trade. Lulu is a tough streetwise narcotics cop who, like a Frank Serpico or a Dirty Harry Callahan, doesn't play by the rules or kowtow to his weak and/or corrupt superiors. Lulu thrives in this violent world, where sheer guts can overcome his squad's deficiencies of money and equipment. Despite the ruthless environment that he lives and works in every day, he still manages somehow to maintain his humanity.

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Plot Keywords:

drugs | police | paris france | racism | digit in title | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

9 September 1992 (France)

Also Known As:

Auf offener Straße

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Investimage 3, Les Films Alain Sarde

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"L.627" refers to the article in the French legislation on public health pertaining to narcotics.

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Connections

References My New Partner II (1990)

User Reviews

A really eye opener

This film was a relentless eye opener to a seedy world which we do not want to believe is true but unfortunately as in the case of Paris it has only gotten worse.

What makes the film work? Well I think it works because of the broken up and choppy style between scenes. We do not move from scene 1 to 2 to 3 until eventually we come to a happy conclusion, instead we are moved here and there not ultimately leading us to a big bust or the worst bad guy, but simply the guys the police have to deal with on a daily basis. At least for me these small time crimes are reflective of real police work, we are not chasing some super intelligent sicko serial killer here, it's not CSI, Bones, or any of those silly shows.

In a perfect world the police would have the resources and power to stop illegal acts, but the police force like any large government institution becomes bogged down and convoluted under it's own weight. Imagine writing off to the stationery department to get a stapler if you were a cop, this would invariably happen. And at least Tavernier can show us the unglorious truth in it's ridiculous splendour.

There is also no black and white areas here. The police give junkies drugs for information. They use some tough methods with the criminals. They're methods are often made up on the spot and often things go horribly wrong.

I cannot recommend this film enough. I picked it up on the off chance and I was not at all disappointed.