Section Zéro

Am always surprised at how little attention French productions garner outside of France. Marchal is himself an ex-cop and the gritty realism of his work and his chosen subject matter clearly speaks to that time of his life. This is yet another strong outing from a highly talented actor, writer and director.

As for Section Zero, it is a bold and ambitious piece of work. It lacks the production values of better funded shows, but it's credible, unflinching and compulsive. Marchal also clearly has a talent for eliciting the best out of the actors he works with and a style very much of his own. There's nothing clunky or forced about his work which is typically well paced and devoid of pointless padding.

For any crime buffs out there, I can also give a strong recommendation to Les Lyonnais, Rogue City and The 26th Precinct, to name but a few. Do yourself a favour and check out this guy's work. If the crime genre is your thing, you'll not be disappointed.