Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Visually Dazzling, first All Digital Film..., September 11, 2004
Pitof, the one named director of Vidocq, has recently come unto infamy by being the director of Catwoman. This is a shame, because Vidocq is like nothing you have ever seen, whereas I am sure Catwoman will be the opposite. Regardless of his recent films, Pitof has been responsible for the visual effects of the Jeunet and Caro films "Delicatessen" and "City of Lost Children" and "Alien 4" (although again, like Catwoman, in 'Alien 4' these were French craftsman trying to translate to an American audience). I think I would not be in the minority if I were to say that the visual effects of those films (even Alien 4) were incredible, and revolutionary.
What Vidocq is, is nothing short of a mark for cinemaphiles. It is the first all-digitally produced film. It is a great gothic tapestry woven over an hour and a half that ends in a great showdown... But overall, it is an example of a film that was created outside of Hollywood, and using more European conventions to tell the story. It was very enjoyable to watch this film, because the story was not immediately obvious.
The visuals are INCREDIBLE! The sequence in the field with the lightning (you will know when you see it) is magnificent. I think that this is a template for what can (and will) be done in the future of digital filmmaking. I highly recommend this film.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Candy for an Eye, September 26, 2005
The most intriguing part about this amazing French historical thriller is that it was totally ignored by American and British box office. Whether it became yet another victim of Anglo-French eternal Kulturkampf, or just a mere blunder on behalf of either French or American/British producers, it is still not an excuse not to show such a spectacular movie to the English speaking audience. We can only thank Canadian bilinguality that made producers in the French part of the country put the English subtitles into the film so those of us who don't speak French could also enjoy this masterpiece from a French visuals wizard Pitof. The story is set in Paris in the turbulent days of the July Revolution of 1830 and based on a struggle between a famous French detective of the early 19 century Eugene Vidocq, played by Girard Depardieu, and the most powerful and dangerous, preying for some reason mostly on young virgins, mysterious serial killer known as Alchemist. Their fight in the beginning of the movie ends up with Vidocq's death and the story is narrated by a young journalist who is determined to find this villain and avenge the slain detective. He follows the footsteps of Vidocq's investigation in the head-spinning rollercoaster ride through aristocratic salons with the most unaristocratic habits, the Parisian underbelly and its ill-famous quarter du Temple where you can buy anything or more precisely anyone, the opium dens and the dens of Revolution, seeing and finding out things along the way that noone was able to see and know, untill he (and everybody else) comes to the dramatic and surprising final which will definitly knock your socks off. The whole movie, colorful like you can only imagine, is so beatifully crafted (like, for example, breathtaking unforgettable image of an aerial view of Paris of early 1800s) so in the end it leaves you absolutely stunned. Real eyecandy. Enjoy it.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Visuals, Visuals, Digital Visuals: Interesting French Action, August 5, 2004
Set in 1830, French action film 'Vidocq' features Gerard Depardieu as Vidocq, convict-turned-police officer who must investigate the spooky cases of murders, in which lightning from the sky is used as the killing method. Oh, and remember, 'Vidocq' is based on the real-life French of the same name. Vidocq, himself an ex-convict, changed sides and later was appointed chief of the police, then became a private detective.
Vidocq once inspired Douglas Sirk film 'Scandal in Paris' back in the 1940s, but now in this film must confront the mystrious suspect 'The Alchemist' whose face is covered with a mirror-like mask, and who can fight like a kung-hu master, and vanish like a ghost. He is the mastermind of the bizzarre murders, and Vidocq must capture this superhuman creature.
Absurd? Sure, very much absurd, but it doesn't end here. You will also see Guillaume Canet ('The Beach') as the young writer who also seek for the truths about the disappearance of the detective (yes, Vidocq disappears), and Ines Sastre as an exotic dancer who must hold the key to the mystery. Yes, as the summery of plot shows, the film should be called cartoonish and often self-indlugent. However, 'Vidocq' is interesting at several points. So I write facts about it, then my impressions.
[DIRECTOR] I don't know how you will respond, but the (first-time) director of the film is Pitof (real name Jean-Christophe Comar), who was responsible for visual effects for 'Alien 4' and others. But wait, Pitof? Yes, that's him, the guy behind the ill-fated Halle Berry film 'Catwoman.' Oh, don't run and click away, for 'Vidoq' is not as bad as you may think.
The film has impressive visual effects, as you may easily expect from his CV, and it deserves some mention. The film is showy and flashy, but often beautiful just like the 19th century paintings with Gothic touch. But more attractive is its production design that re-creates the murky world of Paris underworld where another revolution is coming near. The production designer Jean Rabasse did a fantastic work, as he did in Oscar-nominated 'Vatel.' Also, Marc Caro did the characrer designs.
The film is all shot with digital camera, so the images, visually stunnig as they are, might be too much for your eyes. Actually, 'Vidocq' is the first film that used Sony HDW-F900 camera, which was also used in George Lucas' "Episode 2.'
[THE STORY] Good, but not great. Not that it is bad (the screenwriter is Jean-Christohre Grange, original writer of French thriller 'Crimson Rivers'). But the film shows too frequent flashbacks, and I am afaind that he gave the story too many things, which should be more simple.
So, should we see the film? If you like the visuals, yes. Comic book action, yes. But if you want some insightful version of this historical figure, you should read the book. But Vidocq's own 'Memoirs' are highly colorful (and fictionalized, it is said) accounts of his activities, so why not this one?
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