November (2022) User Reviews

A Gripping and Poignant Thriller

[steveinadelaide · 7/10 · 15 May 2023]

November is a gripping thriller that provides a poignant look into how French law enforcement responded to the unprecedented 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. The depiction is candid, showing both the brutality and horror resulting from these events and instances of bravery displayed by those involved in responding to them. The movie's foundation consisting of real facts and testimonies results in actors delivering powerful performances throughout its runtime.

Director Cedric Jimenez maintains an engaging atmosphere throughout his work. He kept me invested until the credits rolled while raising important issues surrounding terrorism, security measures, and civil liberties with conviction and balance - an approach we need given the complex world we live in today - without oversimplifying them for audiences seeking concrete answers/solutions during these difficult times.

Be warned: graphic scenes may upset some people; therefore, viewer discretion is advised. One also needs to pay attention due to its fast-paced intricate plot, which demands focus throughout. November isn't exactly what one might call a 'light' film. Clocking in at two hours, November is an intense and often dense experience that may prove too much for some viewers.

November is not a film that caters to those seeking quick fixes or easy answers. Little context or backstory is given, which may leave some confused or unsatisfied. All that said, though, November is a powerful and compelling work that honours both the victims AND heroes of the Paris attacks in 2015 while reflecting on the wider societal implications of such atrocities. The movie offers a realistic portrayal of events without unnecessary dramatisation, making it all the more vibrant. Although some parts may be difficult to watch (i.e., graphic scenes), I recommend checking out November if you're interested in this subject matter.

A compelling look at investigating the aftermath of a terrorist attack

[filmGPT · 7/10 · 7 June 2023]

Novembre is a 2022 French thriller film directed by Cédric Jimenez. The film tells the story of the police investigation into the November 2015 Paris attacks. The film stars Jean Dujardin, Sandrine Kiberlain, and Grégory Gadebois.

The film opens with a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris. The attacks kill 130 people and injure hundreds more. The French government is under tremendous pressure to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

A secret anti-terrorist unit is formed, led by Fred Valenti (Jean Dujardin). The unit is understaffed and underfunded, but they are determined to find the perpetrators. They quickly track down a lead, but the investigation is complicated by the fact that the perpetrators are well-organized and well-funded.

The film is a tense and suspenseful thriller. Jimenez does a masterful job of creating a sense of urgency and dread. The film is also incredibly realistic, thanks to the use of real-life footage from the attacks.

The film is not without its flaws. The pacing is a bit slow at times, and the film can be a bit too graphic for some viewers. However, these flaws are minor compared to the film's many strengths.

Overall, Novembre is a well-made and powerful film. It is a must-see for anyone interested in the Paris attacks or in cinematic treatment of terrorism investigations.

November at Paris

[AvionPrince16 · 7/10 · 15 November 2022]

The film recounts the following events: the attacks perpetrated in Paris and the investigations carried out by the police and intelligence services of Paris to find the perpetrators of these attacks. We are in immersion with the police forces and the raids and infiltration they have carried out. We discover the weapons, the suspects, the victims, the relatives of those suspected of the attacks and all the work of the police is shown to us as well as broken promises (Samia is nevertheless declared not guilty and helped by the State: she has changed identity) the film is interesting and the investigation becomes really gripping: we are immersed and their failures become our failures. Jean Dujardin is convincing in his role and shows his moments of weakness and his human side (the family). A French film that I find successful which retraces the paths of the terrorists after the attacks. Those who are interested in events should watch this movie as it contains some pretty intense action scenes even though they are not very present. A film that I recommend all the same after these terrible events in Paris. Anyone in Paris who watches it will recall bad memories but could at least learn more. A film that retraces the events and as far as the characters are concerned they are not very complex; which is normal because they are not the main subject of the film, we follow an investigation and keep the promise of telling the nights in Paris and that is enough to keep us going and arouse our interest.

How things went after Bataclan etc. in November 2015

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 23 October 2022]

"Novembre" or "November" is a really new French movie that had its wide release in its production country only in early October 2022, so less than three weeks ago, and the release here in Germany was even more recent. So you see I took one of the first chances I got to see this one and that has mostly to do with lead actor and Oscar winner Jean Dujardin here. He has so much charisma and it is always nice to see him in the movies, so I must say still that after having watched the outcome here, I found it a bit disappointing that his screen time is limited and there could have been so much more to his character. The revelation at the start was kinda cool when he removes his mask, but this is almost the only scene you remember about him. Maybe another scene would be the one deep into the movie already when he physically attacks a suspect and loses his cool for a moment in the face of the really demanding and dangerous situation. There were even talks of other attacks happening soon. But I am deep into the story now already, so for now let us instead stay with the very basics: The director and one of the three writers is Cédric Jimenez. He is in his mid40s now and has been really prolific in the last decade with shooting one new film every two or three years. As this one here will make it into his most famous releases at this point for sure, he will probably keep going with said rhythm. His co-writers are a bit different. Olivier Demangel is extremely prolific and has worked on a lot more than Jimenez, while the other, James Benjamin Shannon, is not new to the industry, but has not written a lot before and also worked in some other departments.

Huge French film buffs will probably recognize other names and faces here. I will not go into detail about all the actors as you can check the cast list for yourself, but most of them are relatively experienced. This also includes the younger ones. The most memorable supporting performance perhaps came from Lyna Khoudri and I will admit I am partially saying this also because she is pretty stunning. Wes Anderson probably agrees. But now, let us look into the story and plot here and who the characters are: This film is about the Paris terrorist attacks from November 2015. It starts way earlier when we see how an anti terrorism-unit lead by the field agent played by Dujardin is really close to catching one of the guys linked to said terrorist attacks. Those happened all over the city. Stade de France was one key location with a football game taking place and you could hear the explosion(s) outside the stadium if you were watching that night, but the terrorists did not get past security. The biggest nightmare happened at the Bataclan concert location though with a triple-digit amount of people dead. Real tragedy, real massacre. So this location is also mentioned on a few occasions throughout the film. We get to watch the direct aftermath, the days after the terrorist attacks and how the anti-terrorism unit is giving their everything to find the ones who did it. Sleep deprivation had to happen. Of course, they succeed in the end, but it is a long road until they got there. Many mishaps were part of it. One example would be when there during the evening of the attacks they realize there is a false alarm. Another example would be when they arrest a suspect that is actually one of their own, namely an undercover agent. They also need coincidence to help them when a young woman contacts them and tells them about their connection with the terrorists. We also find out how posing as homeless under a bridge is a great way to stay under the radar.

Overall, I think this film has some flaws and the really good moments like also how the agents are on a plane when the attacks happen and they return immediately are not as frequent as they could have been and this could have been a much better film given the subject this is about and how there was really great potential for a film that could have had you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. It did not happen though. Instead, the 100 minutes sometimes feel lacking focus a bit. Despite the talented cast. I am still glad this film got made. It takes a bit of courage nowadays with the political climate to make movies that include a story where the followers of Islam are the bad guys. Obviously, not all of them as for example Khoudri's character was a good character and not an evil one, but still. Just look at my country and how nobody dares to make a film that is about the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market terrorist attack and that happened in 2016, so also over five years ago now. German filmmakers are especially cautious, almost on a cowardly level, when it comes to making films that go against the mainstream. But they could not agree more quickly to deliver when it is about making movies that are against right-wing terrorism. I mean this is totally fine and also an important subject and it is good these films get made as long as the quality is there, which is sadly far from always the case, but that should surprise nobody given the sheer quantity of German movies elaborating on this subject. However, the proportions are just ridiculous. That is another story though. Now let us focus on this film here again instead: There is still a lot that can be mentioned. Just let me do some brainstorming. I must say Demoustier's character disappointed me a bit here. She had a lot of screen time, but the material just never felt in a way for her to make an impact, so she was filler material despite portraying a key character. Same is somewhat true here for most other characters with more than just a few seconds screen time. Great writing this film certainly did not have.

I am not really sure how close it was to the actual events and investigations back then in terms of how it depicted them, but if it was at least realistic, then I am okay with it not being the thrill ride I hoped it could be. The scene with the two women on the balcony towards the end was kinda touching though. We could guess from her words that one of them would die and this is also what happened. The way it happened was sad too with how she wanted to get out, but is killed before she can. Oh yeah, I also felt bad for the dog that was sent inside and killed as well, even if this move made sense I guess from the perspective of the special unit up there in the house. It was only (or "only") the life of an animal, still it hurt to hear it whimper. In general, I would say that the film maybe struggled a bit with the sheer quantity of characters too. Sure, we have the investigators at the center of the story, but there is also the one who gave the arms to the terrorists, there is the uncle(?) that would only talk to Dujardin's character, there's the two women towards the end, there is the one they arrest who was part of it all, but not one of the killers, there's brief talks to the surviving victims of the attack and this is where the interesting mention of these bright orange shoes got in, there is one of the investigators talking to an Islamic preacher (again to show us they are not all bad and dangerous) and in addition to all of those, there is probably also several others that I forgot already, but they are also featured briefly, so many characters in here who have one scene only, maybe two, but are not vital parts of the story. The two main antagonists inside the apartment towards the end we do not even see, but the amount of shots fired there is definitely a special effects highlight from this movie and same applies to the explosion that happened right afterwards caused by the villains. You could really say that the film ended with a bang. Like literally.

I mean it is surely alright that this is not really an actors movie and not a deep character study in terms of individuals and we for example know absolutely nothing about the personal backgrounds of the investigators and that is fine. This should be all about the attacks and the aftermath and the investigation and this is what the movie deals with indeed. But somehow something is missing unfortunately to make it a really exciting watch. Difficult to point out what exactly. I still give the outcome a thumbs-up as a whole and yet it is not an enthusiastic thumbs-up at all. Also looking how almost every single film Jimenez made before this one here had a connection to police work, to terrorism, to absolute evil etc., I kinda felt he could come up with something of better quality here. However, while the investigators we follow eventually manage to create connections between all the persons of interest and get rid of all the question marks - and we literally see how they do on the board with these red threads, Jimenez did not manage the same with his most recent film here. At least not to a highly convincing degree. I suggest you go for watching this one after you have seen all the other superior films on the subject of terrorism.

Powerful reminder of the events following the Paris terrorist attacks.

[pascalnorroy · 9/10 · 8 April 2023]

Gripping documentary/thriller of the investigation following the attacks. Fast paced, relentless and brutally realistic! It keeps the spectator holding his breath and sitting on the edge of his seat all along,.at the end you come out of it feeling a mixture of relief after the police intervention, but also anger at the lack of consideration for the casualties that are left behind once the whole counter terrorist intervention is over. Well worth a watch as the acting is particularly convincing snd deserves the numerous nominations at the Cesar ceremony. Definitely dark and depressing but so we're the dreadful events the film is steeped in.

Great film about a serious subject

[rafaelguerrawww · 10/10 · 9 August 2023]

The director of November, Cédric Jimenez, made a great film here. He managed to take a great angle on the horrific 2015 terrorist attacks that hit France, following the professional and personal struggles of law enforcement officers, highlighting their human side and all that brave citizens can do to make a real difference in helping inspectors. The film has a very good pace and it is quite close to reality. A real pleasure to see Jean Dujardin play such an important role in this very serious, but very entertaining film. Highly recommended for audiences of all ages, nationalities or religions.

A film that is too succinct, sometimes confusing and without endearing protagonists

[BaphometDreams · 4/10 · 6 October 2022]

The nervous style of the director did not help to understand who we arrest and where it exactly leads us in the middle of the pursuit of the terrorists. We only see this at the end with the final panel including photos of each suspects, under red threads, connecting them or not. Why not have this regularly throughout the film ?

The only character in the story who is really endearing, convincing and interesting is played by Anais Demoustier. The others failed to be really convincing with their emotions and the very thin personnal history that is presented to us.

This movie tried (but failed) to be too factual for a sadly too human catastrophe.

great movie

[mocarrere · 9/10 · 3 November 2022]

Excellent action movie, very good distribution. Very sustained rhythm, worthy of the best thrillers. But this is real life because this film is very faithful to historical reality. It therefore has a pedagogical virtue and deserves a very wide dissemination.

No voyeurism, very modest camera even when the scenes are shot in the hospital. And yet it would have been easy to sensationalize.

I would add that this true story which is told to us shows us all these men and all these women who protect us and who generally work in the shadows. This film has the great merit of putting them in the light for once, and of showing us how grateful we should be to them.

A French ZERO DARK THIRTY

[searchanddestroy-1 · 10/10 · 4 October 2022]

As Kathryn Bigelow did with ZERO DARK THIRTY, in 2013, about Ossama Ben Laden trackdown and execution after 9/11 events, French movie industry now does the same about 11/13 mass killings in Paris. The same but not entirely though, only the few days following Friday the 13th, "BLACK FRIDAY", whilst the US movie showed the entire Ben Laden affair. It is taut, tense, gripping, shocking during some scenes, and accurate at the most possible. But unlike the American movie, the characters are not depicted more than necessary. We know nothing about them, except maybe the Anaïs Demoustiers one, this young female cop facing pure horror. But for the rest, including Jean Dujardin, we know nothing. It's not important to appreciate this awesome film, but it is good to tell it. The particularity of this feature is also to remain factual, always factual. Neutral. At no moment, the film maker Cedric Jimenez takes part. It is also very important to warn the audiences. Very unusual and maybe many people won't understand this. It is also question to show some of the terrorists but not enough the victims. Is it a good point? I honestly don't know, each of us will appreciate or not.... A damn good film, however. You can not miss it. We can now consider Cedric Gimenez as the French Paul Greengrass.

A passable thriller, depoliticized and useless

[guigui-paul · 4/10 · 15 October 2022]

Despite a decent cast and a few captivating moments in the last part, a return to the 2015 horror that too often lacks embodiment and stays on the surface, with the script lacking any ideas, thematics. Shame. The director was maybe afraid of hurting, of being indecent, of creating controversy with regard to the government perhaps, but the problem is that his film does not bring anything new compared to what we know. Through the medias of the time. What is the real point of describing this hunt for terrorists when we already know the events? Unfortunately, the script sounds pretty hollow. The big film on the subject with its possible implications (economic, political, etc.) remains to be made. Imagine what the Yves Boisset of the 1970s and early 80's could have done with this hot topic...