Zed (Eric Stoltz) is an American security thief who arrives in Paris to help Eric (Jean-Hughes Anglade), his childhood friend, to dock a bank. Arriving in the French capital a taxi driver offers Zed 'a wife for the night'. When he opens the door to his hotel room, Zed finds an adorable Parisian named Zoe (JulieDelpy).
S**D
a violent descent into brutality
This is a dark and gritty bank heist film, presenting a bleak look at criminal life in the 1990's. It's a well-made movie, and one that's essentially driven by the fantastic characterisation offered by Eric Stoltz - as he plays an expert American safe-cracker who's invited to France by a childhood friend. That friend has made plans to break into a bank - with the aim of stealing millions in gold. The initial half of the film focuses on these two old friends meeting-up after not having seen one another in over a decade. They embark upon a night of drink and drugs within the run-down suburbs of Paris. The latter half of the movie deals with the heist itself, which quickly descends into violence and chaos. Ultimately, this tentative friendship is shown to be less than stable.Mixed in with the main storyline is a secondary plot - involving Zoe, a student who works part-time as a bank clerk as well as a casual prostitute. Stoltz's character arranges to meet Zoe (played by the beautiful Julie Delpy) upon his arrival at a hotel suit in Paris. The two have sex, and get along well. Later it turns out that Zoe works at the back where the heist takes place ... And, in the final moments, Stoltz's character must decide between old friend or new lover.Thrown into the film, to add further texture, are plenty of hard drugs. As is the AIDS infection - which, in the midst of bloody carnage, poses a real threat. Given the way this story is told, there's very little joy here. Other than an intimate and tender moment, involving a sex scene with Zoe, this movie is nothing more than a descent into futile brutality. Yet it's a captivating experience - and, in this regard, I highly recommend it.I watched this film at the cinema over 20 years ago. It's aged well - and stands-up to present-day scrutiny. It's unfortunate that this DVD version of the film is so highly edited - with over 20 minutes of footage cut. The French edition is that much longer, featuring extended scenes about the bank robbery. Should that lengthier version be made available with an English audio (even if only subtitles) I'll certainly get it.
D**N
The best
Fast delivery great DVD just like the video .the subtitles are on there to on the original dvd release i England. .watched loads of times already .great acting .loved film as a kid love even more now. The ultimate edition from France has the directors cut on there but second half of film no subs as its a French release plus French spoken parts at start no subs . My comments comes under the Spanish version for some reason to. Im wondering if that version of directors cut has subs in the French speaking parts. Looking for a English directors cut version
N**S
Dark, violent, fantastic!
Great movie. Violent, dark, funny and massively entertaining. Every character is fantastic.
K**1
Great film
Nothing
M**S
Not bad.
Ok, I bought this DVD without seeing it first, simply to add it to my Tarantino collection. Shallow, maybe, but it was kinda worth it. It's a bit of a strange one this film, my opinion is still divided on it. On the one hand, it's got everything you'd expect from a Tarantino film, blood, lots of killing and the like, but I can't help but feel there's something missing. Perhaps it's the fact that the lead guy (dunno his name I'm afraid) is the drug dealer from Pulp Fiction, and I don't really like him as an actor, so perhaps I would be slightly biased on that front. However, it is worth watching, although I'd say about half the film is subtitled as it's based in France. To sum up the film, it's about a guy who's planning a bank robbery with his mates, but it turns out a prostitute he's fallen for works there, and then a moral dilemma arises. It's worth watching, just to say you've seen it. But I wouldn't expect too much.
D**Z
No extras, just a slightly better version of a forgotten jewel of a film from the 90's.
Barebones edition of a gloriously violent and delirious film. A measly trailer and picture gallery are included as extras. Image is better than the DVD, but don't expect to be blown away like in, say, Coppola's restoration of "Apocalypse now." The movie is fantastic, but be wary of it if you're not into tense, violent storylines.
W**Y
Title apt.
Video v. Good. Saw few years ago. Enjoyed. that's. Why I bought it. Ta.
J**R
Bank robbery
Good but takes a while to get started
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