36 (2004)
aka: The 36 / 36 Quai des Orfèvres
Dir. Olivier Marchal
Detective Léo Vrinks (Daniel Auteuil), a man with many friends and solid bonds, is head of the BRI, a team who look out for each other and cover each other's backs when needed.
In contrast, detective Denis Klein (Gérard Depardieu), head of the BRB, is a man with no true friends, having alienated everyone who ever got close to him, and doing a good job of preventing anyone new from trying the same.
While both men hold the same rank within the same organisation, they're in different departments. And while one follows the law when it suits him, the other makes his own law.
A series of violent armoured car heists put the duo in an awkward position, requiring some tough decision making. The two men each want to be first to solve the case, but for different reasons.
If all you know Gérard Depardieu from is the shitty English language romance films that he seems destined to be remembered for by an entire generation of English speaking housewives, then you may be surprised to see what he's really capable of. Daniel Auteuil delivers an equally gripping performance, but to date I've not seen him do anything bad, so it's another one on the list. There's a number of good supporting actors, but special mention to Francis Renaud as Titi.
The well-defined human relationships drive the narrative more than the action, but it doesn't shirk in the latter, either. At times it's stylistically similar to a Michael Mann film, but unlike some of Mann's overblown efforts it isn't protracted shite with a sedative effect.
- The best of enemies. -
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