From the beginning of the film that tells their intertwined tale, the resemblance between Marseilles magistrate Pierre Michel (Jean Dujardin, The Monuments Men) and local drug kingpin Gaëtan Zampa (Gilles Lellouche, Mea culpa) can’t be missed, nor is it coincidental. Courtesy of a clever stroke of casting and styling, the two men are mirror images of each other in their war over the drug trade between France and America. The visual cue is reinforced by the feature’s structure and sympathies, flitting from one to another. They might be on different sides, each with their own personal responsibilities and professional problems, but by no means are they mere opposites.
In The Connection (La French), Michel is promoted from juvenile court to organised crime as a result of his persistence and diligence, with Zampa his new adversary. Thus far, the figure leading the charge in heroin smuggling has avoided legal consequences, but the new crime-fighter is determined to ensure that doesn’t remain the case. Their respective efforts, one trying to take down a mafia scourge, the other endeavouring to avoid arrest and navigate the usual mob tussles over turf and hierarchies, unfold in tandem.
Film fans can be forgiven for thinking that this tale sounds somewhat familiar, whether from a wealth of gangster offerings often seen on screen, or from one movie in particular. That the feature’s two titles, both in English-speaking territories and in its native France, link in with The French Connection is as by design as the similarity in the movie’s leading men. Here, it is the part of the story that came next, starting in 1975 – four years after its namesake’s release – that monopolises attention. The Connection isn’t just a Gallic perspective on the situation, but a chronicle of its impact, both within the narrative taken from real-life events, and in the feature that results.
Indeed, from the period details to the many montages of deeds both law-abiding and law-breaking, The Connection‘s debt to its predecessor is pronounced. Second-time writer/director Cédric Jimenez (Aux yeux de tous) and his returning co-scribe Audrey Diwan make their movie not in its mould, but heavily influenced by it and its genre – and even with the specific details covered in their film largely unknown to audiences, there are still few surprises to be found. As a procedural charting both sides of the cops-and-criminals divide, the basic plot and its interweaved treatment have been seen before. The filmmaker certainly has a sense of style, particularly in his preference for winding drives that survey Marseilles coastline and corresponding portside setting, as well as fast editing and a peppy soundtrack; however aesthetic sheen can’t overcome the feature’s by-the-book approach.
Thankfully, in the manner of all good two-handers, seeing Dujardin and Lellouche battle it out never gets tiresome, nor do their performances become wearied by the usual tropes. Though the pair has scant little screen time together, and though they are far from the feature’s only players, the commonality they share and duality they represent is The Connection‘s most compelling element. Their textured portrayals offer reminders of other great French crime portraits, such as Mesrine and Carlos, efforts Jimenez also obviously aspires to emulate. Alas, whilst imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it never serves mere mimicry well, leaving the film looking and feeling every part the always-glossy, sometimes-engaging homage it is.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
The Connection (La French)
Director: Cédric Jimenez
France, 2014, 135 mins
Alliance Française French Film Festival
www.affrenchfilmfestival.org
Sydney: 3 – 22 March
Melbourne: 4 – 22 March
Adelaide: 5 – 24 March
Canberra: 6 – 25 March
Brisbane: 13 March – 1 April
Perth: 19 March – 7 April
Byron Bay: 9 – 14 April
Hobart: 16 – 21 April
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