Armed Hands (2012)
"Mains armées" (original title)

Lucas and his team are after a gang of Serbian criminals using NATO-issued weapons. As the investigation leads him to Paris, Lucas attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter, a young narc officer.

Director:

Pierre Jolivet

Writers:

Pierre Jolivet, Simon Michaël

Stars:

Roschdy Zem, Leïla Bekhti, Marc Lavoine

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roschdy Zem	...	Lucas Scali
Leïla Bekhti	...	Maya Dervin
Marc Lavoine	...	Julien Bass
Nicolas Bridet	...	Simon
Nicolas Marié	...	Michel Thabuy
Nina Meurisse	...	Juliette
Eric Bougnon	...	Melik
Marilyne Canto	...	Brigitte, la mère de Maya
Adrien Jolivet	...	Hector
Cyril Guei	...	Benji
Clémentine Poidatz	...	Nathalie
Simon-Pierre Boireau	...	Anthony
Marc Robert	...	Lieutenant Marc de Fontbrun
Bruno Debrandt	...	Stéphane Assor
Gérard Meylan	...	Paul Amera

Storyline

Lucas is 46. A great cop, running arms trafficking in Marseille. Maya is 25. A young narc in Paris. As they often do, guns meet drugs. And Lucas will meet Maya. Not necessarily by accident. Busts, heists, informants... their investigations will become entangled. So will their lives. Because their story began long before their meet-up.

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Plot Keywords:

narc | investigation | gun | arms trafficking | corrupt police | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [jp]

Country:

France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

11 July 2012 (France)

Also Known As:

Armed Hands

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

€8,300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

2.4.7. Films, Mars Distribution, France 2 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pierre Jolivet chose not to finalize the script before wrapping up his location scouting, so that he could properly incorporate the "look" into the screenplay.

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Connections

References Gladiator (2000)

User Reviews

Incredible movie.

I am usually pretty downbeat when it comes to the quality of French movies, but this one took me by surprise in a very pleasant way.

The problem with movies I love is that I can't find much to say about them. The story is great, the actors are great, I suppose the direction is great too since I was so immersed in the story that I didn't notice anything about it, and the ending was quite moving as well.

It's a gritty police movie with realistic dialogues, a well-paced and intriguing storyline and a good balance of action and emotion.

Big props to Marc Lavoine who is fantastic as the rotten policeman Julien Bass; I must say I didn't know he could act that well.

Heartily recommended.