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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Movie Review: Le guetteur (a.k.a. The Lookout)

Le guetteur (a.k.a. The Lookout or Sniper) 
Starring: Daniel Auteuil, Mathieu Kassovitz, Olivier Gourmet,  Francis Renaud, Nicolas Briançon, Jérôme Pouly, Violante Placido, Luca Argentero, Arly Jover, Christian Hecq 
Director: Michele Placido 
Babe Film, Ran Entertainment, Climax Films, France, Belgium, Italy, 2012. 
Commissioner Mattei (Daniel Auteuil) gets a hint about upcoming bank robbery. The police ambush the robbers but a masked sniper Vincent Kaminski (Mathieu Kassovitz) shoots at the police and helps the robbers escape. The police start a hunt. One of the robbers Nico (Luca Argentero) was wounded and the robbers take him to surgeon Franck (Olivier Gourmet). 
Mathieu Kassovitz
Vincent Kaminski being interrogated
Heist does not go as planned
Mysterious sniper appears
Awaiting until Nico recovers, Vincent hides the loot. Then Vincent is betrayed and arrested. Vincent's lawyer and his old girlfriend Kathy (Arly Jover) tells him about a plan to bust him out the prison. Then someone starts brutally killing Vincent's friends. After escaping Vincent sets out for revenge. To make things complicated Mattei's son served in Vincent's Secret Defense unit in Afghanistan and was killed in unclear circumstances.
Daniel Auteuil
Commissioner Mattei
Olivier Gourmet
Dr Franck
After an shoot-out in the beginning the movie takes a turn from heist thriller to hunt for serial killer. Vincent is an anti-hero who acts according his own moral-code. When hunting the serial killer and Vincent, also Mattei has to step into gray moral area. 
Oh, Paris
Daniel Auteuil
Mattei is trying  some sniping also
The idea of putting two French superstars Auteuil and Kassovitz against each other is similar to Heat with De Niro and Pacino. However the movie mixes almost too many coincidences and subplots. However even with the flaws and unevenness the movie is a decent thriller. The photography is good and clinical with cold colour filters. The cool, emotionless style reminds of old French crime films (for example Melville's Le cercle rouge that also had a commissioner named Mattei!). 

Rating: Average

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