Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

gridoon2018 Director Régis Wargnier gained international fame (and a somewhat controversial Best Foreign Film Oscar) in 1992 for "Indochine", but 15 years later he made what can best be described as a b-movie that in most countries went (and deservedly so) straight to DVD. It's not unwatchable, but it is mediocre. The story lacks propulsion for so long (the film runs nearly two full hours) that when the plot finally starts twisting and turning, it's hard to summon much interest. I must admit that it took me two different sittings to complete the viewing. The cast is good (this was Michel Serrault's last film), although "Indochine"'s star Linh Dan Pham has only a decorative role here. ** out of 4.

udar55 Parisians wake one morning to find black 4s painted on their doors. Later, a town crier (those still exist?) in Paris receives cryptic messages about the return of The Plague and, sure enough, people start dying the blackest of deaths. It is up to Commissar Adamsberg (José Garcia) to find out just what is going on. This is in the same mold as the CRIMSON RIVERS films and starts off great. But when the full mystery is finally revealed an hour in, you will be pleading for the complexity of a SCOOBY DOO episode. Seriously, the last 10 minutes actually features the killer basically saying, "And I would have gotten away with it too if it hadn't been for you..." Director Regis Wargnier (INDOCHINE) handles the multitude of characters well and there is a thrilling rooftop chase, but the film's reason for existing is a joke. The film adapts a novel by Fred Vargas, the pseudonym for Frédérique Audoin- Rouzea. Apparently Adamsberg is a recurring character in her stories and, just from what I have read briefly online, the guy is a bit more interesting that the lonely cop sketched here.

souchong French novelist Fred Vargas (female) is adapted for film here.In this case, the flaws of the film are a reflection of the film maker rather than the source material.The lead playing Adamsberg is a fine actor, but miscast here. Not enough ragged edges to do justice to the character in the novel. Camille is slighted in the script, and cast as an Asian woman -- not at all how I pictured her.The cast of potential villains works well, as do most the supporting characters. The action direction is merely competent, not masterful.Vargas's books are great. Look them up if you can.

jerome_a_paris Maybe I should balance my opinion but frankly, I don't find anything to like in this movie, although maybe a few good images of Paris but still... I didn't read the book, I hope it's only the adaptation that's bad... So, I found that: - the dialogs aren't great (not to say they suck), I sometimes felt like I was watching La Cité de la Peur (which is a very good comedy)... - bad acting. Garcia's tone is very weird, tough, neutral, emotionless, which could be fine but here it sounds like he's monotonously reading a script. And the sad thing is, Garcia's acting is among the best in the movie... - a really not so good mise en scène, with ridiculous situations - a bad scenario, at least not very credible. The ending is stupid (or, again, badly adapted)