Le dernier tunnel (2004)

Based on a true story: a recently released convict dreams of one last heist with his old gang before retiring. Posing as electrical workers, they dig a tunnel deep under a bank vault. ... See full summary »

Director:

Erik Canuel

Writers:

Mario Bolduc, Paul Ohl

Stars:

Michel Côté, Jean Lapointe, Christopher Heyerdahl

3 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michel Côté	...	Marcel Talon
Jean Lapointe	...	Fred Giguère
Christopher Heyerdahl	...	Smiley
Nicolas Canuel	...	Vincent Savard
Marie-France Marcotte	...	Magdeleine "Maggy" Fortin
Sébastien Huberdeau	...	Régis Turcotte
Céline Bonnier	...	Annie Beaudoin
Anick Lemay	...	Isabelle Parenteau
Jean-François Boudreau	...	Mathieu Arcand
Michel Mongeau	...	Paolo Morrietti
Steve Banner	...	Denis Morissette
Jean-François Beaupré	...	Sergent Michel Létourneau
Widemir Normil	...	Gardien Robert Jolicoeur
Martin Thibaudeau	...	Joel Falardeau
Fanou Lanciault	...	Assistante de Morissette

Storyline

Based on a true story: a recently released convict dreams of one last heist with his old gang before retiring. Posing as electrical workers, they dig a tunnel deep under a bank vault. However, during the job, two rogue members might get tempted to betray them and go with the loot. As the works goes well, at the last moment, something goes wrong...

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Plot Keywords:

friend | tunnel | heist | probation | neo noir | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

French

Release Date:

12 March 2004 (Canada)

Also Known As:

El atraco del siglo

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD4,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$296,295, 14 March 2004

Gross USA:

$1,352,489

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,352,489

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bloom Films 1998 Inc., Christal Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min (Québec)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Le Dernier Tunnel - Pushing the Envelop for Genre in Quebec and abroad

Érik Canuel's "Le Dernier Tunnel" (2004), inspired from the true story of Marcel Talon's surreal bank robbery, tells the story of an audacious bank robbery made possible by digging a tunnel from the sewers beneath busy downtown Montreal streets into an underground bank volt, where millions of dollars are 'safely' kept. This film offers a genre approach unprecedented in Québec's cinematographic history, which Canuel seems to be making a ritual of, adding to his already impressive filmography, along with "La Loi Du Cochon" (2001) amongst others, a genre film of international caliber. "Le Dernier Tunnel", a typical heist film, reminiscent of such 1950s heist films as Jules Dassin's "Rififi", or of such recent renditions as Frank Oz's "The Score" (2001) (also shot in Montreal), proves that Québec's growing genre film industry can now be placed into an international context, without appearing recycled or banal, while maintaining a cultural uniqueness proper to Quebec. On an aesthetic level, taking into account the film's overall stylistic approach to the heist genre, "Le Dernier Tunnel" is cutting-edge; The editing is sharp and multi-layered, and the cinematography is meticulously executed -as it should be- to convey moods relative to any given scene, which is customary to Canuel's cinematic style, who is admittedly intent on using more than just a superficial cinematography. Overall, this picture, with a meager budge of only 4.5 million dollars -which for Quebec standard is considerably high, but represents nothing in comparison to any aesthetically equivalent Hollywood genre film- offers an approach to the heist film rarely scene before.

Note: My grade of 7/10 is given within the context of the genre it conforms to -more precisely to Quebec's genre capabilities- and isn't meant to reflect anything pertaining to its place in the greater context of cinema's 110 year history, which would then be absurd. If it were, its grade would obviously be considerably lower.