The Nest (2002)

Laborie is a high-flying officer in the French special forces. Her mission is to escort Abedin Nexhep, a godfather of the Albanian mafia. Charged with heading a wide-reaching prostitution ... See full summary »

Director:

Florent-Emilio Siri

Writers:

Florent-Emilio Siri, Jean-François Tarnowski

Stars:

Samy Naceri, Benoît Magimel, Nadia Farès

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Samy Naceri	...	Nasser
Benoît Magimel	...	Santino
Nadia Farès	...	Helene Laborie
Pascal Greggory	...	Louis
Sami Bouajila	...	Selim
Anisia Uzeyman	...	Nadia
Richard Sammel	...	Winfried
Valerio Mastandrea	...	Giovanni
Martial Odone	...	Martial
Martin Amic	...	Spitz
Alexandre Hamidi	...	Tony
Angelo Infanti	...	Abedin Nexhep
Grigori Manoukov	...	Le Passager VAB
Paul Hervet	...	Vigile 1
Frédéric Kontogom	...	Vigile 2

Storyline

Laborie is a high-flying officer in the French special forces. Her mission is to escort Abedin Nexhep, a godfather of the Albanian mafia. Charged with heading a wide-reaching prostitution network, this formidable criminal is due to stand trial before a European court. During the transfer, killers hired by Nexhep set up an ambush to free their boss but Laborie and her men manage to escape. After a frantic chase, the officers seek refuge, with their prisoner, in a warehouse located in the heart of an industrial park. There they meet up with a gang that has come to steal computer material. Meanwhile, Nexhep's killers surround the warehouse?

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Plot Keywords:

watching tv | warehouse | trial | special forces | prostitution | 

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Taglines:

12000-patsu kurae [Japan]

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French English German Italian

Release Date:

6 March 2002 (France)

Also Known As:

Ninho de Vespas

Filming Locations:

France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$733,241 (France), 8 March 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinémane Films, Carrere Group D.A., Pathé Image Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Loosely inspired by John Carpenter's "Assault on Precint 13".

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Goofs

When Martial uses the remote to turn the Liebherr telescopic crane, you can see the jib attached to the right side of the boom. Seconds later, when he extends the boom, the jib is attached to the front of the boom. Aside from the necessary time and space, it is not possible for only one person to attach the jib.

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Alternate Versions

The end credits on the French DVD has the character photos in color and the credits itself in white. However, the French Blu-ray has the character photos in Black & White and the credits itself in red.

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Connections

References Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

User Reviews

A fantastic action film

A French action film that more than earns its place in the genre. It pays homage to American action films and the Alien quadrology with its score more reminiscent of a horror than an action film.

The plot is simple: a gang of ex-cons intend to rob a warehouse of a large stash of IT equipment. A multi-national police armed escort of a dangerous Albanian human trafficker interrupt their efforts when they are forced to divert and take refuge in the warehouse after being chased by cohorts of their prisoner, who are intent on springing him free. Trapped inside the warehouse the gang and police unite to stave off and survive the external attack from the Albanians.

The homage to the Alien films runs throughout from the opening credits where an image of white light holes, that we see later during one of the shoot outs, merge to form the title of the film as did the light in the universe at the start of 'Alien'. The Albanian thugs clearly represent the alien attackers and wear masks with red lights (that reminded me of the cybermen from Dr Who), which makes them look like aliens. There are lots of details in the film that seem to echo the Alien films, too many to list. One of my favourites is the way the Albanians call to the prisoner and he answers them from within the warehouse much as the alien soldiers call to the queen within the film 'Aliens'. There is also a dominant female lead Inspector Labourie, played by Nadia Fares, who like Ripley is maternal, courageous and ruthless in her quest to survive.

What this film brings to the action genre is intelligent imagery and a new brand of anti-hero. The film's title in French should read as 'Hornets' Nest' and not just 'The Nest'. The film begins with one of its anti-heroes, Louis, relaxing in the sunshine whilst a documentary plays on his TV. The documentary is the story of the 'Tarantula Hawk' wasp, which in French is called 'Pepsis Heros'. This wasp is described as being a parasitoid that ensnares Tarantulas as hosts for its larvae to use for food, eating the spider alive from within. Pretty gruesome stuff. The imagery is ambiguous because initially one expects the spider to win against the insect, but it falls prey. Throughout the film it is not clear who is wasp and who is spider: the ambushed/trapped people in the warehouse or the external attackers? Is the danger without: the wasp entrapping the spider (the Albanians attacking the warehouse), or from within where the wasp larvae eating their way out (the trapped turning on the attackers)? The intelligence in the imagery is that as the film progresses 'good guys' die and their success is uncertain, keeping the audience gripped to the last.

Of the handful of protagonists there are two anti-heroes: Louis, a warehouse security guard, and Santino, one of the ex-con gang who eschews guns for chewing gum and whistling. Both are thoughtful and resourceful, yet have an aura of mystery that keeps the audience unsure of them and their allegiances throughout. We see their bravery and their fears as well as their vulnerability to harm and death. Unusual in action heroes of any type.

I can't recommend this film enough and although it's great to discover a hidden gem, it deserves more accolade than its present IMDb rating gives.