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![]() ![]() | The Code Actors: Samuel Le Bihan, Samy Naceri, Clotilde Courau, Marie Guillard, Michel Duchaussoy Director: Manuel Boursinhac Genres: Indie & Art House, Drama, Mystery & Suspense R 2004 1hr 56min |
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Movie ReviewsDeserves to be seen for the art if not for the insight it br Pork Chop | Lisbon, Portugal | 06/27/2007 (2 out of 5 stars) "THE CODE (2002, LA MENTALE) has actors speaking their natural
French but whose dialog was dubbed in English. There are also English subtitles, that consistently differ from the dubbed English. The target market is obviously that spoken about by the new elected French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, (former Minister of the Interior), who won the favor of many over his promises to cope with the multicultural pressures that France faces today, in large part centered in the hyper-populated suburbs of Paris. The movie tells the story of second generation Maghrebs, who consider blue collar jobs and the 9 to 5 work routine dishonorable, preferring instead, to be their own bosses, viewing the world as seen in some regions 800 years ago, carrying out hijackings of 18 wheeler TIR trucks carrying commodities and reselling them, or looting armored bank vans carrying loads of cash, etc. Thus, actors Samy Naceri and Samuel Le Bihan play the roles of gangsters, running their own operations, ranging form narco-trafficking, import to dealing in the street with their own city blocks in the city to protection rackets, high end car thefts, etc. This is confirmed when we hear "It's the dough that makes the man!" The script puts a lot of effort in underlining the personal lives of the mobsters, showing a birthday celebration, a woman mulling over her rocky relationship and pregnancy, coping with infidelity, etc. In this regards, a night club is the center of ultimate joy when friends gather, perhaps juvenile as an outlook. While there are many high-five human moments, party scenes, this movie is ultra-violent, with a number of gun fire-fights, spontaneous murders, and vocabulary typical of the underworld. An ex-con tries to start a new life, stemming from his penal system experience and affection for a woman of outside his religious faith (Maometanism) and tribe (gypsy, Maghreb, etc.) This causes tensions among former partners in crime and by ex-girlfriend, who have a lot to stand losing in letting the man step outside the clan. The action scenes are well done, with the balaclavas and machine guns, packed clips, both indoors and outdoors, showing plenty of realism, by the well understood implications of the behavior shown, such as bleakness, violence, egomaniac behavior seen in the gang, and the overall lack of principles such that, it's a race to the bottom to see who has less character and principles, when there's a confrontation, who is the easiest on the trigger. Some scenes could have been done a lot better, such as the spontaneous physical love scenes or embraces that come about without context, that are non-sequitur. The complete lack of law enforcement is also dumbfounding. Some bizarre moments are shown, such as a woman pulling a stash of jewelry from her underpants. The cultural life is underlined, referencing cuscus, Maometanism for the deceased at the cemetary, the prayer when confronted with imminent danger, the ghetto that they belong to, for friends, companionship and work. The DVD offers a good quasi-widescreen presentation, with very good 5.1 sound, surprisingly, considering the dubbed English dialog. The soundtrack is very good and professional, as well, ranging from acoustic, gypsy-style numbers, to very low-profile music that doesn't distract from the story." |