36 Reviews

Yeah,its like Heat.. over-rated!

Just like Michael Mann's (1995) popular De Niro and Pacino showdown 'Heat' .Not only in plot structure but also action-thriller seen-it-all-before cliches galore,lack of charm and subtlety,dearth of female characters,testosterone-pumped mono-dimensionality.For Pacino read Auteuil,(goodies) for De Niro read Depardieu(baddies)-these are four of the greatest actors in World Cinema of the last thirty years who bring ,light and shade, complexity ,brio and sheer panache to their many brilliant roles-yet here they're phoning in one-note performances.Maybe its not their fault ,for it's in the writing where character comes a poor second to action.I do not deny that the two films are well directed, inasmuch as the action cracks on at a rattling good pace and there are many satisfyingly violent bang-bangs for your buck.If that's all you want in a film,well....that's all you want in a film.Not my tasse de the,merci beaucoup.

who needs hollywood

I suspect it will only be a matter of time before this great film (my favourite over the last 6 months) will be remade with DeNiro and Pacino.

Autiel and Depardieu are excellent as ever (forgive the crap hollywood comedy depardieu has played with) forging a believable and gritty story.

Strong script even thought the last 20 minutes are highly predictable. Give French cinema ago and please ignore the dubbed audio, as ever straight dubbing no tone in dialogue. Stick with the subtitles!!

enjoy and tell all your friends about this great film b4 it is remade (like you do doubt did with Infernal affairs).

Excellent French thriller

I bought a copy of this DVD in France in Feb 2006, and it's a cracking film.

Think of it as a French version of 'Heat' (containing some scenes which could've been lifted directly). It's a gripping film, with an excellent plot, and great performances by both actors.

If you've never tried French films before, or thought that subtitles would put you off, give this film a go.

You might just be surprised.

Follywood

Laughable remake of a hollywood cop thriller, every cliche in the book supported by a ridiculous plot, banal script, lurching timeline and hopelessley ambitious music. Not even a trace of irony for humour.

I never what to see another French film try and use the lines 'you've got 24 hours' and 'The chief is on my back' ever again.

What a shame.

Rubbish

[Highly rated reviewer]

Doesn't ring true, but still good fun

Given that this film was written by two ex-cops, one of whom also directed it (and has also been an actor in what is obviously a very busy life), you would expect a good deal more verite (so to speak) from the result. But, as other correspondents have pointed out, the result looks rather too much like any other Hollywood thriller for its own good (and, depressingly, Hollywood are currently remaking it with Bob DeNiro - be warned).

It's not that it's a bad film: it has excellent atmosphere, and boasts two tremendous performances from two of the most charismatic players anywhere in the world. It does, however, run through pretty much the full gamut of cliches, without ever persuading you that what it depicts could possibly have taken place. The characterisations are too fuzzy, the action too contrived.

The basic tale is founded on a real confrontation between two branches of French law enforcement (think of them as Special Branch and CID) which happened back in the eighties, but I'm not sure you're going to be convinced of the fact.

[Highly rated reviewer]

A quality action thriller

Last night we finally got around to watching the highly thought of French subtitled thriller 36 and yet again a foreign film delivers much more than many of the big money Hollywood American cliché ridden action movies. 36 is dark and gritty, tense and entertaining throughout. 36 tells the story of two police units in the darker side of Paris and a tough and ruthless gang of armed robbers, but the plot does not stop there, 36 looks at the relationships between the two police units and the effects on surrounding characters of the ensuing power struggle between the two units. Ok so some of the cop movie clichés I mentioned above are still present, it’s almost inevitable considering the genre however the tension and realism levels in this French offering remain higher in our opinion. After a fairly slow start 36 picks up the pace and the simple but effective twists unravel intelligently into what is an entertaining but slightly predictable ending. The acting is of a good standard for the most part and the plot works well, my only negative would be that sometimes the subtitle move unnecessarily quickly off the screen, this is not often but enough to notice. In summary anyone who enjoys a quality action thriller and is prepared to watch a subtitled film should really enjoy. 8/10. 4 Stars.

Watchable, but not great.

This 'cop thriller' starts off at a cracking pace and I thought 'wow, this is what good cinema is about'. However, there is a big 'but'. It becomes quite cliched. Also, the pace drags, the storyline begins to grate, even the the soundtrack changes from a driving modern beat to a piano and strings sort of blandness.

It is ok to watch, but not much more than that.

Average french film

Normally if you saw Depardieu and Auteil in the same billing you would be anticipating a cracker.This just doesn't deliver.The story rambles on without any real direction and I agree with the comment above about the incessant music. For a real french police thriller try L627 or La balance(a snitch)

[Highly rated reviewer]

Superb French police drama

36 has been called the French 'Heat' which is enough to get any movie fan salivating as the French are terrific at producing taut cerebral thrillers, and 'Heat' is of course a great movie. Whilst there is no doubt that 36 is a terrific film it's not as good as 'Heat', though it's central premise of two adversaries pitting their wits against each other is eerily redolent of Michael Mann's masterpiece. It lacks that films visual verve, and kinetic grace but like 'Heat' it does have two towering performances at it's heart.

The Parisian police district of 36 has been plagued by a series of murderous armed robberies and the police are under massive pressure to capture the gang. Within this swirl of turmoil Leo Vrinks (Daniel Auteuil ) is up for promotion along with Denis Klein ( Gerard Depardieu) .Klein is the more eager for the job and when Vrinks makes the mistake of becoming involved in a murder perpetrated by a snitch on day release Klein is more than willing to use it against Vrinks , especially after his impetuousness costs the life of one of Vrinks closest colleagues during a carefully planned attempt to apprehend the violent robbers. Just how far Klein will sink in order to pursue his ambitions is revealed with devastating consequences for Vrinks.

Its not the first time movies or TV have portrayed the police as little better or indeed worse than the criminals they are supposed to bring to justice .36 doesn't make the point that that is indomitably the way the police have to operate in order to do their job effectively but it hints through Vrinks interaction with his superior that today's by the book philosophy is definitely more than a hindrance than a help. Curiously in a side plot development that echoes another great film 'Carlito,s Way' Vrinks lack of ruthlessness at a key moment proves to be shattering for another colleague later on and leads to the small but satisfying twist at the films conclusion.

The film exerts a subtle emotional tug through Vrinks marriage and his relationship with his young daughter and there are sly hints that Vrinks and Klein once were rivals for the women that ended up as Vrinks wife. Klien treats his wife with almost alien disdain which contrasts starkly with the warm loving bond Vrinks shares with his family , thus highlighting further their diverse perspectives on life.

With tremendous lead performances, ( Auteuil and Depardieu are both manifestly crumpled and world weary)and excellent support this is one of the best thrillers released recently. It shifts from a gripping police procedural drama/thriller to a standoff of rare intensity before finally for the last quarter transmuting into a revenge movie far more understated and poised than most films manage and while it is I assert again , and I doubt I am alone here, that it's not as good as 'Heat' this is a very good film indeed and it would be churlish for that reason not to endow this superb French movie with five stars .'Heat ' meanwhile remains one of those very special films who deserve a six star category ( See also 'Bladerunner' ,'Once Upon A Time In America/ The West', 'Alien' , Manhunter' , The Exorcist' to name a few)

Can You Feel The Heat?

I'll be honest - I enjoyed this, and it's very good... but not great. But, hey, if you want a taught, intense, gruff and at times very violent French heist movie with cracking contemporary direction, you could do a lot worse than 36.

36 is in some ways a French response to Michael Mann's 'Heat'. High octane crime and violence interlinked with the troubled private lives of two mature men with empty lives - ones who have unfortunately become defined by their professions. In fact, for the first twenty minutes I did feel as if I was watching a remake of Heat, what with the heist, the women, the bonding party and surveillance scenes required to flash out of the two main characters.

However, the fresh spin of 36 is that both males leads are cops this time, and it's the pressures of solving a particular crime that pit them into conflict. From here (and I won't give too much away) the morals of getting the job done are explored, and the principles of politics come under painful scrutiny.

My main gripes (and the differences between 4 and 3 stars) were that sometimes too much was left unsaid (but I guess that's a French thing...), and the managing of a chapter where time has evidently passed was not handled very clearly.

And to draw further comparison with Heat, the relationships between the main leads and the supporting characters could have benefited from being fleshed out more, thus lending those leads greater depth.

But this isn't Heat, this is 36, and once again France has proved that it doesn't need Hollywood, and can do it all for itself, thank you very much.