User reviews

VIDOCQ (3+ outta 5 stars) Visually impressive mystery/thriller taking place in France around the time of the French Revolution. Gerard Depardieu plays the title character, Vidocq, a brilliant criminologist who is on the trail of a mysterious caped villain who wears a mirrored mask. In the opening scene the villain knocks Vidocq into a fit of fire and a young journalist (Guillame Canet),who is writing a biography of Vidocq, traces the great detective's last steps to bring the mysterious caped figure to justice. So we get flashbacks to Vidocq's investigation inter-cut with the writer's search. Depardieu makes for an interesting hero... sort of a cross between Sherlock Holmes and a professional wrestler. (You rarely saw Holmes pick up a villain and hurl him across a room.) The computerized special effects look a lot better in this movie than they do in some bigger-budgeted Hollywood movies... the backgrounds all have a veneer of unreality about them and yet they are still convincing. The conclusion is not much of a surprise but the discovery of the villain's identity is still pretty satisfying.

Want to see Gérard Depardieu in a steampunk action fantasy? Then you'll want to watch Dark Portals: The Chronicles of Vidocq. It's a bit weird, but lots of foreign movies are weird, just as I'm sure lots of American movies are weird to non-Americans.

If you're into the fantasy genre, you've probably seen lots of movies like this. A mysterious killer who never allows anyone to see his face. The hero killed off in the first five minutes, falling into a fiery pit and leaving the other characters the rest of the running time to solve his murder. That old strudel. This isn't my usual film fare, but I'll watch literally anything with Gérard in it, so the scenes he was in were worth it.

DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. Be on the lookout for swirling cameras that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

This French film was much criticized for wasting it´s visuals in just an action adventure story wich i think its the most unffair thing it can be said on such a masterpiece like this. When an action movie has an empty plot, evcerybody complains, when it has a good plot everybody says it should have been better and not waste its potential. Are you critics nuts ?!! Some attack this movie claiming that its nothing like french a Matrix wannabe. Well i wish Matrix had been such a good movie and had such a good story as VIDOCQ has. And if this is just an imitation, i want a sequel ! As for the Sony Camera style, well it was filmed with one, what do you expect ?! Is that a bad thing ?! It made me want to go out and buy one just to try and make a movie like this. And those closeups look great and realy show how the personalities of some of the characters are distorted and nuts. Brilliant editing also.

I loved the story, the actors and graphicaly is one of the most inovative movies ive seen in recent years. It was not an expensive production, but looks better than most of Hollyood Blockbusters of the last 20 years at least. The genius of this movie is in actualy making us believe that much more money was spent on it than what actualy was. This is the proof you don´t need a big budget to make a big film. All it takes is imagination.

Visualy it couldn´t have been better. The settings are amazing, the computer graphics blend in and add to the visual feel and the atmosphere is incredible. Great action sequences, great mistery and great characters. Above all an original concept wich is something that Hollywood can´t say that it has nowadays.

I´ve loved this movie so much that i bought it from the French Amazon store just a couple of hours ago and i only saw it at the theater last night. It´s a double dvd edition and it has plenty of extra material and i can´t wait to get my hands on it.

One of the best European "fantasy" movies since La Citée des Enfants Perdus and another great french movie. French cinema nowadays has been a great alternative from Hollywood crap. Merci French guys ! :) After seeing such crap as the latest Arnie Shwarzenneger movie its great to have a REAL GOOD movie to watch and see how real cinema should be. Hollywood take notes. No, realy. Take notes, this is how you make a very interesting action movie with style but also with substance.

VIDOCQ is a true masterpiece. More please !

I really wasn't ready to enjoy "Vidocq" having heard a friend of mine telling me he felt like throwing up in the middle of the movie, due to the peculiar camera angles and motion. But having some time to lose while waking up in front of TV, why not take a look?

And I was really taken in that old-Paris atmosphere, which I found strangely bewitching... I did not find the special FX better than in other big budget movies, but "different", finally something original, kind of an nightmarish, apocalyptic surrounding... The storyline had some nice parts to it, but we could have had more. Depardieu was pretty good, Dussollier as well, as opposed to a dreadful Guillaume Canet...

Overall, an interesting movie, with pluses and minuses, I was glad to see it but I won't buy the DVD.... 6/10

Yet another "Galliwood" movie, with all the typical French pluses and minuses. On the plus side, it is more original than most Hollywood movies: I particularly like the spectacular, original and surrealistic photography (powerfully blended with digital computer animation). On the negative side, the story is perhaps a bit dull and incoherent; though it is still more inventive than most stories from the same genre. In overall, this is an enjoyable piece. It would deserve much more attention (and financial success) than it actually receives, but "Galliwood" suffers from the lack of effective marketing infrastructure.

It takes place in 1830 in Paris. Vidocq is the name of the main character who's based on an actual French historical figure that's considered one of the pioneers of scientific police (think CSI). He's played by probably the most famous French actor living today: Gérard Depardieu. Rather originally, the title character dies in the first 5 minutes of the film. The rest of the story alternates between the investigation of a journalist retracing Vidocq's steps and flashbacks of Vidocq's last case. The original screenplay was written by best-selling French mystery writer, Jean-Christophe Grangé. It was his first original screenplay, and he says it will be his last, and not because he wasn't happy with it. This last case of Vidocq involves the murder of notables by lightning strike. The journalist's investigation takes us from person to person in a rather linear fashion. The investigation itself is not particularly gripping, but there are a couple of big twists at the end. The "bad guy" sports a very cool mirror mask. The fantastical elements originate from the mirror mask person, not everything is real or scientifically explained.

The special effects in general, with a couple of exceptions, are pretty well done, particularly the mask's reflections. It's apparently the first commercial feature film made completely with a digital camera (as opposed to a camera with film). This means that the picture quality, at the time, was crisper than usual, also giving it an unusual look. Lots of work has been done on lighting and colours. The colours are very vivid and favour the colours red, yellow and green. The decors are a mix of real life and digital trickery, they usually look very good and unlike your standard American films. Despite taking place in the 19th century, the editing is modern and very fast, with lots of very quick close-ups. I personally didn't like that style of frenetic cutting because the cuts often seemed unnecessary and made things either less involving or a little harder to assimilate. The characters seemed a bit on the shallow side to me, but then it's more about action, mystery and suspense with a touch of fantastical. Vidocq was compared to the film Seven but in 1830. It's nowhere near as good in any regard, except perhaps for visual style, very different anyway.

The director, Pitof, was a special effects supervisor for most of his career (City of Lost Children, Alien IV) and his following project was directing the infamous Catwoman. It's likely he got that job because of Vidocq. I find that the director Pitof is not very good at telling a story, has trouble with pacing and making us care about the characters. Vidocq is worth renting (or buying cheap) for the spiffy visuals alone. Overall, the movie is not bad but not memorable either. It's likely that a more talented director (Burton, Fincher, Jeunet, etc) with the same material could have done a lot better.

Rating: 6 out of 10 (Good) P.S. There are no portals, dark or otherwise.

This film is visually stunning - it's almost like watching a painting in motion. Everything about the visuals, from the sets to the costumes to the lighting to the camera angles, contributes to a surreal and rather otherwordly, while still dark and gritty, atmosphere - somewhat evocative of Gormenghast.

The plot has enough twists and turns to keep you constantly guessing, and frequently confused: Is Vidocq dead, or alive? Were the murdered men victims, or villains? Or pawns in something larger? Are we looking for a mad scientist, or an urban legend brought to life? Is the political unrest in Paris related to the case, or just a backdrop for it? It borrows elements from both science fiction and fantasy as well as being rooted in the detective genre.

Now, I probably have a higher than average liking for twisted, fantastic, genre-bending movies that make one's brain hurt, but even so, there were some serious holes in the plot, or at least things that never really were well explained. So viewers who place a high priority on logic and consistency may find it a frustrating experience. But overall I very much enjoyed it, and some of the visuals will be with me for a long, long time.

The special effects are great, the story interesting. I am bothered however by the quality of the picture. Especially the close-ups look like home video. It looks like they're done with a Sony Handycam. This new technique does not yet replace real film, as it looks mostly ugly. Hope George Lucas does not make too many close-ups, it looks really bad.

When I heard that Pitof, who's been responsible for the special effects in the Jeunet (& Caro) team, was making a movie, I couldn't wait.

What a disappointment! He didn't make a movie, he made a gigantic trailer for a video game. Almost funny in its stupidity. No pace, no direction, no nothing, just "cool" visual stuff (I didn't find it cool personally). The acting is awful, seems like the actors didn't ever rehearse, just read the dialogues and go shooting. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy making. They probably spent a week filming for 3 months of post-production.

There is no substance whatsoever in this flick, it's just another demonstration of poor taste and a desperate attempt at being trendy and make big money. I guess it's sort of entertaining for teenagers fed on 3D games, but it's nothing more than that.

Even the special effects were terrible in places...I can't believe it.

To the dustbin of cinema history!

If you are looking for a great story, look elsewhere, as this has just the thinnest of story to accompany fantastic visuals.

The is the first feature-length film worldwide to be shot with hi-def cameras. It is a visual stunner with visual effects by Pascal Giroux (The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc). The film itself is fast, due to the frantic editing, and sometimes hard to follow, but a treat to experience 1830s Paris with opium dens, drugged virgins piled on top of one another, and offices and laboratories of a scale and complexity that boggle the imagination.

It is based upon a true French detective, who was the model for more famous detectives, and involves the hunt for a masked martial arts master that apparently sucks in the souls of it's victims. The is, apparently, basis for this type of monster in Japanese folklore.

The ending is just incredible and, like the entire film, a visual treat, but the story will leave you unsatisfied.

Vidocq is directed by the singular Pitof, who has worked with Jean-Pierre Jeunet on such films as Alien Resurrection and the superior City of Lost Children. Depardieu stars (his 116th film!) in a striking tale of 1830's supernatural murder, set in Paris which would make an excellent double bill with From Hell. Vidocq was a real historical personage, and a genuine founder of modern French criminology - though this is a highly fictionalised part of a part of his life, inspired by the 'orrible crimes of contemporary penny dreadfuls and the likes of Spring Heeled Jack, than by any real facts. The film is shot entirely on high quality video and so visually it is completely different to a regular film. The sometimes disconcerting loss of depth of field brought by the format is compensated for by an immediacy and high impact in close ups, as well as an amazing (and presumably inexpensive), flexibility in shots and special effects. Watching it I was reminded of what a BBC costume drama would be like on acid, and could also see indebtedness to Phantom of the Opera, Sherlock Holmes and perhaps Blade... All in all I thought this the best French fantasy I have seen since Brotherhood of the Wolf - admittedly a small field, especially if one draws a veil over the dismal Belphagor: Phantom of the Louvre. Worth seeing if you like your fantasy dark, Gallic and hectic. A notable credit in the art department on Vidocq is Marc Caro (another Jeunet collaborator), who creates a convincing and claustrophobic world of political upheaval, crowded streets, menacing glass works and a range of grotesques. Some great scenes, EG the two men set on fire by lightning bolts set to the elegant music of Vivaldi, while the three or four main fight scenes are handled excitingly. Vidocq is such a strong character that this film cries out for a sequel. But Pitof is now apparently working on Catwoman, and going by this, his is a stylish, if rather in your face, talent. The HK DVD is excellent, although there are occasional glitches in the subtitles.

This film is similar to another recent French film the Brotherhood of the Wolf. They are both similar visual treats in which the actors are there to complement the spectacle. Vidocq is not a bad film. Depardieu is at his best while doing films in his native French. It was good to see him in this type of role and film. It was fun watching him (though he could shed a few pounds now and then). The supporting cast is excellent as well. This is a 19th century France that is gritty and the streets are approached from an angle of realism. It's the 19th century and you feel like it is right around the corner. It breathes life. Well done and leaves you looking forward to the next work of this director.

I saw this a few years back when it hit the cinema in France and thought that overall it was not a bad attempt at a Gothic horror/thriller (a genre I like). Initially I found the digital footage a little off putting but settled into the "look" eventually and ended up really liking it. So, OK, it's not high art French cinema but surely that's not a reason to dislike it? I have to say I was surprised to find so many reviews here because I heard nothing of this movie after the French release, which surprised me (especially as that movie Brotherhood of the Wolf was doing the rounds, which I thought was a pile of s**t in comparison). Also, 28 Days Later appeared not long after this, touting a similar digital look (but i thought that movie seriously sucked also). In conclusion, if, like me, you disliked the movies mentioned, maybe you will like Vidocq. I think, that in time, it will possibly gain cult status . What do you think?

As you are watching you can see there is something really odd

about this movie, the way it's filmed (not only the way the sky

looks etc, that's obviously not realistic). Still, it's a very intense movie to watch. I thought the camera work was refreshing, but I didn't like the story much.

"Vidocq is dead!"

Thus opens Vidocq, an amazing film directed by Pitof, from a script based on Jean-Christophe Grangé's original and hard-hitting story, The Purple Rivers. In this film, legendary real-life convict-turned-detective François Vidocq, (Gérard Depardieu) lives again in 1830 Paris. The pacing and story are both amazing. Pitof and Grangé have done such a wonderful job of creating and establishing this horrifying plot, and whipping it up into a frenzy, that it is impossible to not get swept away by it. The cast is also amazing, with everyone turning in fantastic performances. A truly great film!

This is one of the first major motion pictures worldwide to employ a fully digital process in its making, including digital cameras. This adaptation has proven to be a lovely proving ground for this new process. Many of the exterior and interior sets and decorations were constructed by computer, and add a sense of detail and accuracy of time and history to 1830 Paris that would otherwise be impossible.

The special effects and fight sequences are fantastic, with many surreal nightmarish visions that will haunt your for weeks. There are so many amazing things about this film! For example, I've never heard pitiful mewling til I saw 'Vidocq'. Once you see this film, you'll know what I mean, and it will disturb you to your core. It's a film that is at once beautiful and repulsive. There's lots of intrigue, conspiracy, horror, suspense, mystery, romance of a sort, everything you could want from a film. See Vidocq!

I thought that this movie could be very different from over the top American movies because it's french. Well i was a bit disappointed, because it's just too much over the top. The special effects are twice as beautiful than in American movies, this movie is just painting or an art in its own. Every scene is like an advertisement in television, and visually very intense and demanding to follow. Colours are vivid and they create a certain atmosphere.

But what this movie succeeds in the visual side, it lacks in the deepness and in the story. The characters seem too shallow, the dialogue is very superficial from time to time. However when you adjust to the movie's different approach you can get a hold of it.

I'm pretty puzzled over the fact that this movie has unnecessary action scenes. Really! It'd been more efficient if the bad guy with the mask had had a discussion with Vidocq than unrealistic fighting which we viewers are very accustomed to. Of course there should be fights, but this movie tries to be in the horror and action genre and it's just too lame because it'd been done too many times before.

It's so much harder to make good and impressive dialogues between the bad guy and the hero than just generic fighting with special effects.

This movie clearly isn't a horror movie, it's fantasy and thriller.

I enjoyed this movie because of it's new approach to the visual side, it looks like a computer game. It's a pretty good and impressive movie if you don't analyze it all the time. "Plenty of cakes are beautiful from the surface.", i just can't avoid the feeling that this movie is just way too shallow.

Pitof's style and design comes blazing through, in a kind of high-octane version of the work he did for Jeunet & Caro - a mixture of French garishness and Tim-Burton-esque gothic fantasy and detail. Also reminded me a bit of Alex Proyas' design on Dark City.

The plot gallops along, with Depardieu appearing in flashback scenes throughout while his biographer, the police, a decadent journalist and his sidekick all try to re-trace his steps, solve the bizarre murders and capture the Alchemist (if he or she even exists)!

There's so much going on on-screen that it's a complete feast for the eyes, especially once femme fatale Preah gets mixed up in the mystery.

I also thought it was so refreshing to see the investigative duo of Vidocq and Nimier, because they are both coarse, brainy & brawny (like two bears in top hats), whereas any Hollywood film would surely add numerous physical & character defects. You'd also lose the wonderful surreal Frenchness of the setting, and almost grotesque supporting characters.

The Alchemist is a great baddie - not superhuman, but you're not quite sure (for a long time anyway) if he/she is really supernatural or not - or of his/her motivation, and by the last half hour you think it could be virtually any of the main characters under the mask, which sets you up for a really good revelation or two & a battle at the end.

An exciting movie (complex, but not difficult), and not one dull moment. I'm not sure what some of the negative reviewers were watching, because if you liked Sleepy Hollow or From Hell, you'll adore this.

"Vidocq" is undeniably a technically innovative film, however "innovative" doesn't always equal "good". Pitof's film is rushed and frenetic, with a (digital) camera that refuses to stand still for more than two seconds. This has an unfortunate effect; the human (i.e., the viewer's) eye doesn't have enough time to appreciate the effort (and the money) put into one scene, because before you can see everything clearly the film has moved on to the next scene. This makes the film look like nothing more than an expensive video game at times. It's a pity, too, because the film has one of the most staggering plot twists I've ever seen at the end of it, which suggests that there WAS a good script buried there somewhere, under all those impressive visuals. (**1/2)