writers_reign I just caught up with Olivier Marchal's debut as a writer director having thoroughly enjoyed his later highly accomplished 36 Quai des Orfevres. He's an interesting filmmaker having spent a decade or so in the police force during which time he took acting lessons in his down time and eventually began appearing on screen in mostly policiers and eventually writing and directing Gangsters his first feature as writer/director. Okay the story of two highly trained officers going undercover to root out the bent cops in a special unit is hardly new but Marchal brings insider knowledge to bear and has been lucky in his casting with Richard Anconina and Anne Parillaud excellent as the two undercover agents. Definitely worth catching.

unbrokenmetal Richard Anconina and Anne `Nikita' Parillaud are starring in this picture by former police officer and actor Olivier Marchal who scripted and directed it. `Gangsters' tells the story of an undercover agent who tries and finds out who are the 2 corrupt inspectors involved in a robbery. On one hand, there are very realistic moments where you can see that the director used to work for the police himself – when the disillusioned policemen talk about their low wages, smoke too many cigarettes, treat suspects unfair, there are shades of grey everywhere, just like in real life. On the other hand, the film has a few moments of pure cliché, for example when the investigators secretly meet in a nightclub – just for the sake of the sleazy red light and the topless dancers in the background. We have seen this too many times before. Nonetheless, this is a thrilling action story, because it's very condensed (a crime happens, the suspects are interrogated, final conflict). Not too simple and straight, though, because there are many sudden flashbacks in between. The movie is mercilessly revealing human weaknesses, and employing magnificent actors. Voted 8/10.

Claudio Carvalho Minor SpoilerFranck Chaievski (Richard Anconina) and Nina Delgado (Anne Parillaud, gorgeous as usual) are two undercover detectives of a French special force trying to identify two corrupt members of the Paris Police Force. Franck is pretending to be a gangster and Nina a prostitute living with him, and involved in a robbery of a fortune in diamonds, having seven deaths and some injured persons. This movie is a typical example that a low budget movie, having a suitable screenplay in the hands of good director and cast, works. The plot is simple, but the way the facts are presented to the viewer through flashback is great. Violent as you may presume a heist and a police interrogatory to criminals are, the fans of police story movies will certainly enjoy this film. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Gangsters"