Army of Crime (2009) L'armée du crime (original title)

Director:

Robert Guédiguian

Writers:

Serge Le Péron (original idea)
Robert Guédiguian (scenario) ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 August 2010 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

The poet Missak Manouchian leads a mixed bag of youngsters and immigrants in a clandestine battle against the Nazi occupation...

Plot Keywords:

SS | Assassination | Armenian Genocide | SS Commander | Gunfire

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Simon Abkarian	...	Missak Manouchian
Virginie Ledoyen	...	Mélinée Manouchian
Robinson Stévenin	...	Marcel Rayman
Lola Naymark	...	Monique Stern
Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet	...	Thomas Elek
Adrien Jolivet	...	Henri Krasucki
Olga Legrand	...	Olga Bancic
Alexandru Potocean	...	Alexandre le mari d'Olga
Jean-Pierre Darroussin	...	Inspecteur Pujol
Yann Trégouët	...	Commissaire David
Pascal Cervo	...	Inspecteur Bourlier
Paula Klein	...	Madame Rayman
Boris Bergman	...	Monsieur Rayman
Léopold Szabatura	...	Simon Rayman
Ariane Ascaride	...	Madame Elek
Garance Mazureck	...	Marthe Elek
Yann Loubatière	...	Bola Elek
George Babluani	...	Patriciu
Miguel Ferreira	...	Celestino Alfonso
Pierre Niney	...	Henri Keltekian
Esteban Carvajal-Alegria	...	Narek Tavkorian
Ivan Franek	...	Feri Boczov
Horatiu Malaele	...	Monsieur Dupont
Mirza Halilovic	...	Petra
Christina Galstian	...	Knar Aznavourian (as Christina Galstian Agooudjian)
Jurgen Genuit	...	Raffenbach
Jean-Claude Bourbault	...	Joseph Darnand
Wolfgang Pissors	...	Monsieur Stern
Jutta Vielhaber	...	Madame Stern
Maurice Durozier	...	Docteur Kaldjian
Yasmine Ghazarian	...	Cristina
Julien Bouanich	...	Saas
Xavier Hosten	...	Cristea
Rainer Sievert	...	Officier Allemand Cormeilles
Veronika Beiweis	...	Madame Frydman
Lola Accardi	...	Amie Madame Frydman
Alain Gautré	...	Inspecteur Barrachin
Bertrand Bossard	...	Inspecteur Daime
Alain Cauchi	...	Policiers
Philippe Le Mercier	...	Policiers
Julia Brodier	...	Employée Préfecture
Arnaud Le Bozec	...	Gardiens de la Paix
Vincent Crouzet	...	Gardiens de la Paix
Jean-Marc Coudert	...	Policier métro
Emmanuel Chevallier	...	Policier arrestation Rayman
Yves Buchin	...	Policier tortionnaire
Hubertus Biermann	...	Général Oberg
Jeremias Nussbaum	...	Jeune Soldat Allemand
Simon Frenay	...	Lycéen
Jean-Christophe Peupion	...	Concierge Manouchian
Elise Arpentinier	...	Concierge Elek
François Carton	...	Fermier
Nicolas Robin	...	Crieurs de Journaux
Quentin Thébault	...	Crieurs de journaux
Marc Choquet	...	Reporter Radio-Paris
Stéphane Rugraff	...	Maître Nageur
Andrée Saldo	...	La bigote
Serge Avedikian	...	Micha Aznavourian
Pierre Banderet	...	Lucien Rottée
Lucas Belvaux	...	Joseph Epstein
Frédérique Bonnal	...	La concierge
Patrick Bonnel	...	Monsieur Elek
Christine Brücher	...	La fermière
Alain Lenglet	...	Le proviseur
Gérard Meylan	...	Le flic résistant

Directed by
Robert Guédiguian

Writing credits
Serge Le Péron		(original idea)
Robert Guédiguian		(scenario) and
Serge Le Péron		(scenario) and
Gilles Taurand		(scenario)
Gilles Taurand		(adaptation and dialogue)

Produced by
Dominique Barneaud	....	producer

Original Music by
Alexandre Desplat

Cinematography by
Pierre Milon

Film Editing by
Bernard Sasia

Production Design by
Michel Vandestien

Set Decoration by
Claire Vaysse		(set decorations)

Costume Design by
Juliette Chanaud

Makeup Department
Fabrice Herbet	....	special makeup effects artist
Pierre Olivier Persin	....	special makeup effects artist
Jimmy Springard	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Malek Hamzaoui	....	production manager
Svetlane Vaesken	....	assistant production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Justine Bosco	....	third assistant director
Nicolas Bouaziz	....	second assistant director
Jean-Christophe Delpias	....	first assistant director
Sophie Groussin	....	second assistant director
Charlotte Selman	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Gérard David	....	assistant art director
Pomme Delépine	....	third assistant art director
Yann Dury	....	assistant art director
Nicolas Lanvin	....	swing gang
Pascal Lavoué	....	property master
Sylvie Le Vessier	....	painter
Gonzalez Stephane	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Vincent Cosson	....	foley recordist
Florian Fabre	....	foley artist
Eric Grattepain	....	foley artist
Laurent Lafran	....	sound
Gérard Lamps	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jonathan Martins	....	sound assistant: auditorium
Valérie Meffre	....	dialogue editor
Bridget O'Driscoll	....	supervising sound editor
Xavier Thieulin	....	sound mix technician

Special Effects by
Guy Monbillard	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Nicolas Borens	....	digital compositor
Sophie Denize	....	visual effects producer
Ludovic Iochem	....	digital matte painting
Julien Meesters	....	head of VFX studio
Hugues Namur	....	visual effects supervisor
Jérémie Touzery	....	matte painter

Stunts
Alexandre Cauderlier	....	stunts
Kevin Cauderlier	....	stunts
Frédéric Dessains	....	stunt performer
Jérôme Gaspard	....	stunt performer
Emmanuel Lanzi	....	stunt performer
Olivier Sa	....	stunt performer
Michaël Troude	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Thomas Bigot	....	grip
Vincent Buron	....	first assistant camera
Marie Demaison	....	assistant camera
Stéphane Ging	....	additional grip
Malek Krimed	....	first assistant camera
Dupont Stéphanie	....	still photographer (as Stéphanie Braunschweig)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Indiana Sylla	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Marie Granel	....	post-production assistant
Jacky Lefresne	....	colorist
Léa Masson	....	second assistant editor
Valérie Meffre	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Fernand Capitani	....	composer: additional music
Goussan Chahene	....	composer: additional music
Alexandre Desplat	....	conductor
Alexandre Desplat	....	orchestration
Andrew Dudman	....	score mixing engineer
Andrew Dudman	....	score recording engineer
Xavier Forcioli	....	music programmer
Xavier Forcioli	....	music: production
Thomas Jamois	....	soundtrack producer
Joel Rubin Jewish Music Ensemble	....	orchestra
Dominique LeMonnier	....	musician
Pascal Mayer	....	music supervisor
Iuric Morar	....	musician
Christophe Morin	....	musician
Philippe Noharet	....	musician
Oreste Rossi	....	composer: additional music
Joel Rubin	....	musician
Traffic Quintet	....	musician
Anne Villette	....	musician
Estelle Vilotte	....	musician
Yeram	....	musician

Transportation Department
Jalal Aqdim	....	picture car assistant coordinator
Charles Heidet	....	picture car coordinator

Other crew
Lise Ariotti	....	production administrator
Marie-Christine Damiens	....	press relations
Xavier Forcioli	....	programmer
Marc Leroyer	....	armourer/weapons master

Production Companies

• Agat Films & Cie (co-production)
• StudioCanal (co-production)
• France 3 Cinéma (co-production)
• Canal+ (participation)
• CinéCinéma (participation)
• France 3 (FR 3) (participation)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (participation)
• Agence Nationale pour la Cohésion Sociale et l'Egalité des Chances (ACSE) (participation)
• Région Ile-de-France (support)
• Procirep (in partnership with)
• Angoa-Agicoa (in partnership with)
• Soficapital (developed with the support of)
• Programme MEDIA de la Communauté Européenne (support)

Distributors

• StudioCanal (2009) (France) (theatrical)
• Cinéart (2009) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Cinéart (2009) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Lorber Films (2010) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Madman Entertainment (2010) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Optimum Releasing (2009) (UK) (theatrical)
• Film1 (2012) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Kino Lorber (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• StudioCanal (2010) (France) (DVD) (also Blu-ray)
• Zon Lusomundo Audiovisuais (2009) (Portugal) (all media)

Other Companies

• Le Vestiaire  costume rental
• Naïve  soundtrack

Also Known As:

"L'armée du crime" - France (original title)

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Palais-Royal, Place du Palais Royal, Paris 1, Paris, France

Company:

Agat Films & Cie

Trivia:

Henri Krasucki, part of the Manouchian group, was the general secretary of the French Communist Party from 1982 to 1992.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When showed up to the press after being arrested in November 1943, a member of the group tells a policeman the FFI will avenge them when they come. The FFI (Forces Francaises de l'Interieur) was regrouping several resistance groups and was created in 1944.

Soundtrack:

Passion Selon Saint Mathieu (Aria : Erbarme dich, mein Gott)

Not up to his exacting standards

How sad to see Mr Guédiguian pandering to the current craze for movies telling the sorry story of Jews in France under the Nazi occupation. Here Mr Guédiguian, who is an outstanding director having produced wonderful movies, like "Marius and Jeannette", tries to join Jews and partisans, including an iconic Armenian (like himself) character, for whom you cannot help feeling a lot of sympathy. However, there are so many strands in this movie that you never get solidly gripped by one of the many, and the plot disintegrates into a cascade of little streams. Also, the stereotypes of cardboard characters (the Paris ghetto Jewish tailor, the gallant Nazi soldier, the refugee Jewish woman and many others) contribute to make this movie essentially a flesh and blood graphic novel, re-visiting old clichés. There is nothing new here and good actors (like Virginie Ledoyen) do not manage to rescue a completely hopeless script. Not a movie I would recommend.