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Total Kheops
2002 Crime / Thriller
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Credits
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Director: Alain Bévérini
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Script: Alain Bévérini, Jean-Claude Izzo (novel)
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Photo: Dominique Brenguier
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Music: Franck Mallauran, Cyril Ximenes
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Cast: Richard Bohringer (Fabio Montale),
Marie Trintignant (Lole),
Daniel Duval (Manu),
Robin Renucci (Ugo),
Maurice Garrel (Batisti),
Richaud Valls (Fabio,
20 ans),
Stéphane Metzger (Manu (20 ans)),
Jean-Francois Palaccio (Ugo,
20 ans),
Jean-Michel Fête (Cerutti),
Josette Baïo (Honorine),
Anne Guegan (Béatrice),
Barbara Cupisti (Paola)
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Country: France
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Language: French
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Runtime: 90 min
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Summary
Present day Marselles. On the day of his release from jail, Manu is shot down after
a nocturnal safe-cracking job. His death is mourned not only by his girlfriend,
Lole, but also his two long-standing male friends, Ugo and Fabio. Ugo avenges the
death of his friend by killing Zucca, a gangster boss, before being shot dead himself
by armed police. This leaves Fabio. Whilst investigating the murders, he recalls
the wild late adolescence he shared with Ugo and Manu. All three were in love with
Lole and passed their time by perpetrating petty crimes. Whereas Ugo and Manu went
on to pursue a career in crime, Fabio decided to become a law enforcer. The death
of his friends provides Fabio with a reason for taking on some powerful enemies –
the mafia and right-wing extremists – with predictable consequences…
Review
For his first film, director Alain Bévérini opted to adapt a respectable
crime novel by Jean-Claude Izzo. The result is a stylish but ponderous crime thriller
which is richly evocative of the classic French policier, but which fails to break away
from the familiar cinematic clichés. The post noir cinematography and menacing
score are two of its better points, giving the film atmosphere and tension which is sadly
lacking elsewhere.
Bévérini complicates what is already a complex plot by inserting into
the main narrative flashback sequences depicting the principal characters’ rebellious
youth. This kind of stylistic embellishment might have worked in a simpler film
or one which was less constrained by the rules of its genre. However, the main reason
why the flashbacks do not work is because their link to the present feels too tenuous
to be justified. And the reason for this seems to be that the lead actors are not
permitted to give anything other than a superficial performance.
Richard Bohringer
is the only actor in the film who comes close to portraying the kind of introspective
angst that is needed to make it work, but even he ultimately comes across as just another
bland film noir hero. Likewise, the talents of Marie Trintignant and Daniel Duval
are somewhat wasted. However, the film’s location, modern-day Marseilles,
is well chosen and is portrayed with a genuine chill factor, a far cry from the banal
sunny metropolis of Robert Guédiguian’s films.
© James Travers 2004
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