I didn't liked how the movie begins, i didn't liked how the movie ends. Maybe i had too much expectations because i was a huge, HUGE fan of the TV series "Omertà, la loi du silence", which had a realistic and down to earth approach with flawless performances and a vast range of emotions. The movie became interesting for me only 45 minutes before it ends and the denouement seems a bit rushed in my opinion. Not so well written, not so well directed but not enough to be called a piece of garbage.
The plot is interesting enough (it seems based on "real" events) but too complex for an 1:46:49 format. The casting is unequal (i was happy when Sophie, the beautiful Rachelle Lefevre from Twilight, disappeared from the screen). I read a few critics saying that René Angelil (Céline Dion's manager) was a very good actor in this. The reason he was good is because he had to play only one single emotion throughout the whole movie and he fails to act anger when he throws his cell phone at the end. Once again Paolo Noël (who plays Tony Potenza) didn't convinced me he was as good as the others actors. The characters didn't stop saying that Sam Cohen (Stéphane Rousseau) was a psychopath but he failed to convince me he was one, it takes me more than a mutilating scene and a tough face to be called a psychopath. Unfortunately for Rousseau, Ron Lea (Gino Favara in the TV series) played THE best psychopath i have ever seen on screen, he didn't act like one, he "WAS" one and it makes all the difference in the world! The result is i didn't care about the characters at all and i was happy when they died. A short range of emotions is what you'll get in this film, almost always in the same tones...
There's also a cameo of Michel Auger, a real journalist of the "Journal de Montréal" who's been harmed by gun shots in real life by the bikers or the mob (i don't remember) in a parking lot in September 2000 to shut him up.
There is a few unconvincing scenes like the second gun shot scene at the beginning; a deputy minister organizing secret meetings with the police boss in a factory; Pierre Gauthier's (Michel Côté) daughter screaming and crying because her friend was killed, etc... Unnecessary flamboyant dialogues, sometimes boring, with some laughable twists and turns only for the sake of surprises and suspense. Unlike the TV series, the music (i'm a great fan of Michel Cusson) was forgettable and relayed in the background for atmospheric purpose, but still have the Cusson's vibe. The legendary musical theme is used only once but barely recognizable and the "Denise Deslongchamps's theme" is used as the main theme instead. To me it's like a Star Wars movie without the intro music, something is missing...
The end of the movie is open for a sequel, i don't know if they will, but i hope they won't do another one.
An average blockbuster full of clichés with almost no depth whatsoever. It seems more like a recipe to make money than a work of art in my opinion. You take a fine cuisine dish, throw it in the oven for about 10 years and you'll get a Mc Donald trio. It does the job but i was hungry again one hour later. I regret but in one word, forgettable.
The plot is interesting enough (it seems based on "real" events) but too complex for an 1:46:49 format. The casting is unequal (i was happy when Sophie, the beautiful Rachelle Lefevre from Twilight, disappeared from the screen). I read a few critics saying that René Angelil (Céline Dion's manager) was a very good actor in this. The reason he was good is because he had to play only one single emotion throughout the whole movie and he fails to act anger when he throws his cell phone at the end. Once again Paolo Noël (who plays Tony Potenza) didn't convinced me he was as good as the others actors. The characters didn't stop saying that Sam Cohen (Stéphane Rousseau) was a psychopath but he failed to convince me he was one, it takes me more than a mutilating scene and a tough face to be called a psychopath. Unfortunately for Rousseau, Ron Lea (Gino Favara in the TV series) played THE best psychopath i have ever seen on screen, he didn't act like one, he "WAS" one and it makes all the difference in the world! The result is i didn't care about the characters at all and i was happy when they died. A short range of emotions is what you'll get in this film, almost always in the same tones...
There's also a cameo of Michel Auger, a real journalist of the "Journal de Montréal" who's been harmed by gun shots in real life by the bikers or the mob (i don't remember) in a parking lot in September 2000 to shut him up.
There is a few unconvincing scenes like the second gun shot scene at the beginning; a deputy minister organizing secret meetings with the police boss in a factory; Pierre Gauthier's (Michel Côté) daughter screaming and crying because her friend was killed, etc... Unnecessary flamboyant dialogues, sometimes boring, with some laughable twists and turns only for the sake of surprises and suspense. Unlike the TV series, the music (i'm a great fan of Michel Cusson) was forgettable and relayed in the background for atmospheric purpose, but still have the Cusson's vibe. The legendary musical theme is used only once but barely recognizable and the "Denise Deslongchamps's theme" is used as the main theme instead. To me it's like a Star Wars movie without the intro music, something is missing...
The end of the movie is open for a sequel, i don't know if they will, but i hope they won't do another one.
An average blockbuster full of clichés with almost no depth whatsoever. It seems more like a recipe to make money than a work of art in my opinion. You take a fine cuisine dish, throw it in the oven for about 10 years and you'll get a Mc Donald trio. It does the job but i was hungry again one hour later. I regret but in one word, forgettable.