Bastien Boullion

The Count of Monte-Cristo

05/09/24

Cineworld, Edinburgh

This assured adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic tale feels like something of a throwback – a great big swaggering epic, set over decades, featuring lush locations, a selection of fascinating characters and enough action set-pieces to make its nearly three-hour running time positively flash by. Co-directed by Alexandre de La Patilliére and Mattieu Delaporte, who recently delivered an acclaimed version of Dumas’ The Three Musketeers (which I have yet to catch up with), The Count of Monte-Cristo is an unqualified delight from start to finish.

The plot is complex. The chaotic opening has humble sailor, Edmond Dantès (Pierre Niney), rescuing a woman from a sinking ship, much to the chagrin of his Captain, Danglars (Patrick Mille), who has ordered him not to dive in. But Edmond’s valour is rewarded when he finally gets back to port. Danglars is summarily sacked by the ship’s owner and Edmond is offered the post of Captain, which means he is finally able to propose to the woman he loves. Mercedes (Anaïs Demoustier) comes from an affluent family and her parents would never countenance her marrying a lowly seaman. But a Captain? That’s another matter.

On the couple’s wedding day, Danglars has his revenge, claiming that he has evidence that Edmond is a Napoleonic spy. He conspires with Edmond’s “friend” Fernand de Morcef (Bastien Boullion) and Gérard de Lafitte (Laurent Lafitte), a crooked magistrate, to ensure that the accusation sticks.On what should be the happiest day of his life, Edmond is flung into jail, where he has the prospect of spending the rest of his days.

For four years, he has no contact with another human, but one day befriends another prisoner, Abbé Faria (Pierrefrancesco Favino), who claims to be the heir to a fantastic treasure. He explains that all the the two men need to do is dig their way out of the prison and they will share a fortune. But when – ten years later – Edmond finally makes his escape, the treasure is all his for the taking – and he is free to plan his elaborate revenge on Danglars and his co-conspirators…

If that sounds convoluted, fear not, because this beautifully-mounted production never leaves me in any doubt as to who is who and how they all relate to one another. There are some fabulous performances here, not least from Niney, who manages to convey the awful longing for vengeance which he has nurtured for so long – and I fully sympathise with his determination to make his revenge as protracted and heartless as possible. Nicolas Bolduc’s sumptuous cinematography and Jérôme Rebotier’s magnificent score make the whole undertaking even more impressive. I love too that, for once, a story of revenge is so much more nuanced than the usual shoot ’em up nonsense.

The only element here that requires me to suspend my sense of disbelief is when Edmond uses a series of Mission Impossible-style masks to disguise himself as a variety of different characters. It seems unlikely that – in that era – prosthetics could have been brought to quite such a fine art, but it’s a detail I’m happy to accept when every other element is so faultlessly achieved.

The sad truth is that an adaptation of a French classic (with those dreaded subtitles) is probably not going to put an awful lot of bums on cinema seats – a tragic state of affairs, considering how generally brilliant this is. Anyone longing for a slice of old-fashioned adventure will appreciate this wonderful, multilayered saga.

4.8 stars

Philip Caveney

The Night of the 12th (La Nuit du 12)

02/04/23

Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh

Written by Gilles Marchand and directed by Dominik Moll, The Night of the 12th features few of the traditional tropes we might expect to find in a crime procedural. It’s based around an (unsolved) real-life murder and, though it occasionally gives the impression that there may be a satisfying solution waiting for us at the film’s conclusion, it steadfastly refuses to supply one. Here is a story that is far more interested in the effects that a crime has on those assigned to investigate it than in the crime itself. It’s a brave decision on the part of the filmmakers but one that – for me at least – feels suspiciously like a game-changer.

It’s the night of October 12th 2016 and Clara (Lula Cotton-Frapier) leaves the house of her friend, Stéphanie (Pauline Serieys), in the picturesque mountain village of Grenoble, to walk the short distance home. But on her way back, she’s approached by a masked stranger, who flings petrol into her face and sets her ablaze. Her body is discovered the following morning, burned almost beyond recognition.

Newly appointed police chief Yohan Vivès (Bastien Boullion) is assigned to head up the resulting murder investigation, assisted by his close friend, irascible older cop, Marceau (Bouli Lanners). Marceau is currently having serious marital issues, which make him even more unpredictable than usual and Yohan spends much of his time reigning in Marceau’s excesses. Yohan also makes a mess of breaking the news of the murder to Clara’s mother.

The team of investigators soon uncover a whole parade of suspicious males, many of whom have, at some point, enjoyed a sexual relationship with Clara. They range from a toxic bully, who has been previously arrested for beating up a girlfriend; a local weirdo living in a squat close to the murder scene; and a rapper, who has openly threatened to ‘burn’ Clara in the lyrics of one of his recorded songs, available to view on YouTube. But what initially promises to be an open and shut case keeps leading the team of investigators along a series of dead ends and, as the days, months and years slip inexorably by, Yohan is increasingly affected by his total inability to make any headway with the case…

The Night of the 12th exerts a powerful grip and its overarching theme appears to be a meditation on the nature of evil. It also explores an awful truth: that it is generally men who commit such terrible crimes against women, and it’s also mostly men who are tasked with solving them. When a new female judge (Anouk Grinberg) takes over, Yohan finds himself reinvigorated by her presence and ready to give the case one last push. But is it a change that’s come too late to be of any help?

Dark, brooding and mysterious, The Night of the 12th will surely infuriate those who prefer their mysteries to have a definitive answer, but it manages to keep me hooked right up to the final frame and, for me, that’s enough to recommend it as one to watch. I’ll be the first to acknowledge, however, that the film won’t be for everyone. Watch this for the journey rather than for the final destination.

4.2 stars

Philip Caveney