Le couperet (2005)

Director:

Costa-Gavras

Writers:

Donald E. Westlake (novel)
Costa-Gavras ...
(more)

Release Date:

2 March 2005 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

A chemist (Garcia) loses his job to outsourcing. Two years later and still jobless, he hits on a solution: to genuinely eliminate his competition.

Plot Keywords:

Competition | Outsourcing | Software | Bar | Son In Jail

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

José Garcia	...	Bruno Davert
Karin Viard	...	Marlène Davert
Geordy Monfils	...	Maxime Davert
Christa Theret	...	Betty Davert
Ulrich Tukur	...	Gérard Hutchinson
Olivier Gourmet	...	Raymond Machefer
Yvon Back	...	Etienne Barnet
Thierry Hancisse	...	Inspecteur Kesler
Olga Grumberg	...	Iris Thompson
Yolande Moreau	...	Préposée poste
Dieudonné Kabongo	...	Quinlan Longus (as Dieudonné Kabongo Bashila)
Jean-Pierre Gos	...	Garagiste
Vanessa Larré	...	Prédatrice
Serge Larivière	...	Inspecteur Police
Jeanne Savary	...	La présentatrice TV
Luce Mouchel	...	Mme Rick
Philippe Bardy	...	M. Rick
Marie Kremer	...	Judy Rick
Raphaël D'Olce	...	Gradé Gendarmerie
Renaud Rutten	...	Motard Gendarmerie
Jean-Michel Balthazar	...	Barman Arcadia
Luc Bromagne	...	PDG (as Luc Brumagne)
Michel Carcan	...	Rolf Kranz
Robert Borremans	...	Inspecteur Otto Zirner
Alain Guillo	...	Jack
Jean-Maurice Knockaert	...	Chef de rayon
Marc Legein	...	M. Birch
Marie-Hélène Baleau	...	Madame Birch
Corentin Lobet	...	Jeune chauffeur
Hervé Pauchon	...	Dentiste
Abdelmalek Kadi	...	Pompiste
Gérard Kuhnl	...	Léon Ringer
Marie-Pierre Chaix	...	Madame Ringer
Christophe Brault	...	Journaliste TV
Olivier Ravanello	...	Journaliste TV
Jean-Claude Grumberg	...	Premier témoin
Émilie Raffoul	...	Deuxième témoin
Alice Kakou	...	Troisième témoin
Michèle Berrebi	...	Procureur
John Landis	...	Père copain Maxime
Emmanuel Hamon	...	Jeune commissaire
Marie-Rose Roland	...	Femme de chambre
Robert Guilmard	...	Automobiliste
Laurence Bremont	...	Femme automobiliste
Julie Gavras	...	Jeune femme cabine
Catherine Salée	...	Lydia
Nabil Ben Yadir	...	Eboueur
Pierre Choul	...	Danseur de claquettes
Stéphane Csala	...	Directeur du cinéma
Romain Gavras	...	Inspecteur civil
Éric Bronchart	...	Inspecteur civil
Serge Devos	...	Inspecteur civil
Dominique Reding	...	Inspecteur civil
Alain Beaufort	...	Assistant Kessler
Airy Routier	...	Jeune homme entretien
Laurence Lafiteau	...	Jeune femme entretien
Francine Martel	...	Concierge Blacher
Denis Taurel	...	Client Café l'Étape
Hugues Faget	...	Client Café l'Étape
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joseph Rapp	...	A man in the restaurant (uncredited)

Directed by
Costa-Gavras

Writing credits
Donald E. Westlake		(novel "The Ax")
Costa-Gavras		and
Jean-Claude Grumberg

Produced by
Jean-Pierre Dardenne	....	co-producer
Luc Dardenne	....	co-producer
Genevieve Lemal	....	executive producer
Alexandre Lippens	....	executive producer
José María Morales	....	co-producer
Michèle Ray-Gavras	....	producer
Arlette Zylberberg	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Armand Amar

Cinematography by
Patrick Blossier

Film Editing by
Yannick Kergoat

Casting by
Gerda Diddens
Kris Portier de Bellair

Production Design by
Laurent Deroo

Costume Design by
Laurence Maréchal

Makeup Department
Thi-Loan Nguyen	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Aurore Benoit	....	assistant unit manager (as Aurore Benoît)
Paul Bogaty	....	assistant unit manager
David Crenn	....	assistant unit manager
Yvon Crenn	....	production manager
Dimitri Linder	....	unit production manager
Florence Masset	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gabrielle Hanne	....	trainee assistant director
Joseph Rapp	....	first assistant director
Charles Senard	....	second assistant director
Caroline Tambour	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Igor Gabriel	....	set decorator: Belgium
Bart van Lint	....	carpenter

Sound Department
Benoit De Clerck	....	additional sound
Jonathan Gargui Dit Marco	....	assistant sound
Thomas Gauder	....	sound mixer
Carole Lourtil	....	adr supervisor
Nicolas Moreau	....	sound editor
Nicolas Naegelen	....	sound
Olivier Thys	....	assistant foley artist
Philippe van Leer	....	foley artist

Visual Effects by
Fabrice Blin	....	digital color grader
Alexandre Bon	....	visual effects supervisor
Berengere Dominguez	....	visual effects coordinator
Jerome Fournier	....	senior matte painter
Christian Guillon	....	visual effects producer
Audrey Kleinclaus	....	visual effects coordinator: L'EST
Benjamin Massoubre	....	2k operator
Jean-Francois Theault	....	digital compositor
Olivier Veau	....	digital compositor

Camera and Electrical Department
Eric Blanckaert	....	second assistant camera
Thomas Brémond	....	still photographer
Teresa Punzi	....	assistant camera
Jan Rubens	....	Steadicam operator
Didier Versolatto	....	gaffer

Editorial Department
Nicolas Criqui	....	digital conformation
Mickael Dumontier	....	digital conformation
Frederic Jupin	....	digital conformation
Yorgos Lamprinos	....	assistant editor
Philippe Reinaudo	....	digital intermediate technical director

Music Department
Thomas Jamois	....	soundtrack producer

Other crew
David Durca	....	location scout
Dimitri Linden	....	unit manager: Belgium
Matthieu Maunier-Rossi	....	location manager
Marika Piedboeuf	....	script supervisor
Dominique Segall	....	press attache
Charles Senard	....	location scout
Oliviero Toscani	....	on-screen bills

Production Companies

• K.G. Productions
• StudioCanal (co-production)
• France 2 Cinéma (co-production)
• Les Films du Fleuve (co-production)
• Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF) (co-production)
• SCOPE Invest (co-production)
• Wanda Visión S.A. (co-production)
• Canal+ (participation)
• Eurimages (participation)
• Wallimage (participation)

Distributors

• Mars Distribution (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• A-Film Distribution (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2006) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2005-2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Alamode Film (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2006) (Argentina) (VHS)

Special Effects

• L'Etude et la Supervision des Trucages (L'E.S.T.) (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Moteur!  propaganda
• Rivages  French Novel published by

Also Known As:

"The Ax" - International (English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

France:122 min

Country:

Belgium | France | Spain

Language:

French | Dutch

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Australia:M | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-15 | Brazil:14 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Beaufays, Belgium

Company:

K.G. Productions

Trivia:

Ads on billboards in background were created by the director's friend photographer Oliviero Toscani.

Quotes:

Gérard Hutchinson:Vous savez, au bout de cinq ans de chômage on est devenu... non, comment on dit en français?
Bruno Davert:Has-been.
Gérard Hutchinson:Ah oui, voilà, has-been.

Movie Connections:

References Taking Lives (2004)

A comedy with a sharp dark edge

Many years ago there was a film starring Alec Guinness called "Kind Hearts and Coronets", which took the case that a member of a wealthy family murders off his relatives to inherit the estate. "Le Couperet" offers a similar plot, although this time a disgruntled unemployed engineer becomes an inept assassin to remove his competitors for a top job with often-hilarious consequences.

In this very dark comedy Jose Garcia does well as the bumbling killer, at times reminiscent of a young Jack Lemmon, and there are many surprises along the way. The film does highlight more sincerely than you may expect the plight of middle-aged professionals that are retrenched, and find it difficult to obtain positions in the current climate. Many watching the movie might well relate to its characters and their plight.

Excellent sequences include the job interview, which has more than a ring of truth, the discussions about unemployment and its social consequences by the discouraged out-of-work executives, and the scenes with the marriage counselor. Despite its black humour, there is a very human side to this film. Costa-Gavras is an exceptional filmmaker, with experience that shows in the smooth integration of the hilarious with an undertow of real pathos. The story ends on a suitably enigmatic note.