SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

deanza7 I'm really tough on realism, good scripting, dialogs and screenplay when it gets to appreciate a movie. In this case, Schoendorffer made one of the most realistic and even scaring movie of the french criminal society. Nothing is left aside to stigmatize what happens on the dark side of the french society. Ruthless mobsters fighting silently for their share of drug business, prostitutes, theft and a lifestyle that consists in consuming life by both ends. I must actually admit that this movie is in total opposition with anything I've seen in recent years, in particular American crime thrillers that are often quite stereotyped. This one is so realistic, so close to real life that it is scaring. The trafficking that goes on here is the one you read about in the newspapers and the actors play so convincingly that you feel like a silent witness of a mobsters' daily life. It's not a movie for kids clearly and Schoendorffer spares the viewer nothing of the terrible violence of this underground world. This movie is among the top 10 I've seen in my life and I guess it will stay there. I can only recommend it warmly to anyone interested in seeing a real good crime thriller. Of course, if you're french and live in the southern Paris suburbs, you'll recognize lots of places in this movie and will even feel more involved with the screenplay.Definitely a must.

rstout3526 A French gangster film set in Paris with a very thin plot, lots of blood & gore, little or no character studies or plot lines, violent misogynist sex. I kept watching this and waiting for a plot to emerge. It didn't happen. The film starts with episodes of the various factions or gangs involved. One gang member is imprisoned. From then the film simply becomes a series of killings and murders until few of them are left. Reservoir Dogs it is not. Meserine it is not. Ronin it is not. The screenplay appears merely to be a pastiche of the best and worst of American gangster genre. The characters here are portrayed as cold violent individuals. Some characters have no apparent place within a thin plot - just filling up road kill. All this violent mayhem in a capital city and not a single policeman in sight? I found this film to be without much merit and not one that I would watch again, or indeed recommend.

tikke I enjoyed watching this film. Powerful acting from the cast and specially from "Philippe Caubère". I hope he does more films in the future in the "crime" category. I would cast him as the villain, bad guy anytime : ) I don't understand the negative reviews not finding a storyline here :) A good film needs to have your attention for its duration, and believe me this film does that. I'm from LA, the movie capital of the world. Nowadays films are made by the kilo here :) but there is no quality. Give me a dozen "Truands" per year and I'd be a happy audience!!

muspelhem IMHO this is one of the best and most hardcore gangster flicks out there.It's grisly, sure, but also produced in a very realistic way, and the characters are extreme, most of them are utter nuts.It has french humor, sex, drugs and violence in abundance.But it also has an impressive array of characters and quite a complex story line.In short, prepare for a hell of a ride.I rank this one a masterpiece.Check it out!