Le premier cercle (2009)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Laurent Tuel

Writers:

Laurent Tuel (writer)
Laurent Turner (writer)

Release Date:

4 March 2009 (France)

Genre:

Thriller

Cast

Jean Reno	...	Milo Malakian
Gaspard Ulliel	...	Anton Malakian
Vahina Giocante	...	Elodie
Sami Bouajila	...	L'inspecteur Saunier
Isaac Sharry	...	Rudy
Alberto Gimignani	...	Emilio
Eric Challier	...	Missak
Julian Negulesco	...	Daniel
Franco Trevisi	...	Frank
Albert Goldberg	...	Bedik
Mirza Halilovic	...	Levin
Vladimir Milivojevic	...	Aram
Nicolas Bridet	...	Mirelli
Tony Gaultier	...	Coutard
Jean-Paul Zehnacker	...	Cazes

Also Known As:

Inner Circle (USA) (informal English title)
Inside Ring (Europe: English title) (festival title)

Runtime:

Germany:95 min (European Film Market)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud)

Company:

Alter Films

In Peace sons bury their fathers, in War fathers bury their sons

That statement of the Greek historian Herodotus chimes in with this movie whereby both of Malakian's sons were killed during gunfights with the police. Sticked in my memory; previously in Troy(2004) when his son Hector got killed, the King of Troy had gone to knee before Achilles and also very famously in Godfather(1972), Marlon Brando's character had endured in silence of his son Sonny's assassination. There are more examples to that case in earlier movies, yet those were the most remarkable ones for me. Jean Reno played the heartless father here, he caused the death of his son. His way of playing the role of his character was mediocre and occasionally it set out several instabilities.

It wouldn't even have surprised me when Reno began crying whilst holding his son's corpse, who got killed trying to save his life. The main reason for that is because there was not a sign of concord between Jean Reno and Gaspard Ulliel. It wouldn't be wrong to compare Ulliel and Reno here, since it's very clear to eye that Reno gave one of his worst performances while Ulliel giving his best. Yet, even after this comparison, even Reno played his worst performance while Ulliel played his best; still Reno acted better. So, if you are watching Le Premier Cercle for one of these stars you won't like the movie. Oppositely, if you liked the movie you won't like the performances of the stars here.

Le Premier Cercle continues the endless tales of immigrant crime stories that Jean-Christophe Grangé brought to mind. A family escapes from the Armenian holocaust during the World War-I in Turkey. By time the family get involved in the illegal trade of sensitive items and weapons with overseas. When history leaves its heritage to the power of the underworld empire in our present time, we know that no matter what thriller story is created the result is always same: Whoever has the power and the authority wins the lawsuit.

Almost one third of this film is dealing with the common rat race between the police and the mafia. The next one third slice is crime and action which is not offering anything special or new. Finally the last one third section(apart from the erotic and dramatic segments) is a must-see suspense. Accordingly those segments come to vision very purely that editing is so simplemindedly offering us an easy-to-watch popcorn flick.

The actual wonderingly awaited scenes ,which are mixed brilliantly with suspense and high tension, start when you feel that the story has begun to create a new and unexpected story. Plot has been installed with a high potential, such that when the story begins to expand; it becomes like a puzzle with "How?" and "Why?" questions coming to mind, which are getting their answers at the end. It's a film that heroes and stars die, villains live. When the moment comes shocking incidents begin to occur and from now on it's hard to guess what happens next. I strongly advise Le Premier Cercle to anybody who likes surprise suspenses.