In this drama a man finds himself split between his violent life as an enforcer for his loan shark father and his desire to be a concert pianist.
This French film is somewhat unusual in its combining of disparate genres. What could otherwise be a fairly typical crime narrative about a violent individual at a turning point in his life is given an extra dimension when he decides to take advanced piano lessons from a Chinese woman who speaks little to no French. This improbable turn of events takes the story down a less familiar path. Aside from his criminal and musical activities, the central character also makes time to engage in an illicit affair with the wife of his closest business associate and finds himself in the midst of a dangerous situation in dealing with no-nonsense Russian gangsters who his father is trying to take a debt off. All these differing dynamics result in an entertaining and varied film. Romain Duris is very good in the lead role and carries the dramatics mostly given that he is in every scene. All-in-all, I found this one to be a very satisfying and quite diverse drama which managed to combine a variety of ideas very well.
This French film is somewhat unusual in its combining of disparate genres. What could otherwise be a fairly typical crime narrative about a violent individual at a turning point in his life is given an extra dimension when he decides to take advanced piano lessons from a Chinese woman who speaks little to no French. This improbable turn of events takes the story down a less familiar path. Aside from his criminal and musical activities, the central character also makes time to engage in an illicit affair with the wife of his closest business associate and finds himself in the midst of a dangerous situation in dealing with no-nonsense Russian gangsters who his father is trying to take a debt off. All these differing dynamics result in an entertaining and varied film. Romain Duris is very good in the lead role and carries the dramatics mostly given that he is in every scene. All-in-all, I found this one to be a very satisfying and quite diverse drama which managed to combine a variety of ideas very well.