Director:
Jean-Paul Salome
Cast: Sophie Marceau, Julie Depardieu, Deborah Francois,
Marie Gillian and Maya Sansa
Releasing: 14 August 2008
Rated: MA 15+
8/10While the poster for this
film looked like a wartime take on Charlie’s Angels,
nothing could be further from the truth. It’s a gripping
war thriller based on true events concerning five French commando
girls who return to France on an important assignment which will
have a major effect on the Allied war effort. The success of D-Day
might depend on the outcome.
In May 1944, this small team of five female commandos
are parachuted into occupied France, in a desperate mission to
protect the secret of the location of the D-Day landings, and
assassinate Colonel Heindrich (Moritz Bleibtreu), who's in charge
of German Intelligence.
In the team are Louise (Sophie Marceau), widow of
a Resistance leader and a trained sniper; Jeanne (Julie Depardieu)
a hooker who’s quick on the trigger finger; Gaelle (Deborah
Francois) an explosives expert with religious beliefs; Suzy (Marie
Gillain) former Folies-Bergere showgirl and one-time lover of
Heindrich, and Maria (Maya Sansa) a half-Jewish Italian Contessa
working undercover with the French Resistance.
Visually, there’s excellent re-creation of
the war period in France with a feel of gritty reality, with locations
around Paris giving authenticity to the scenes. The fine cinematography
with muted colour emphasize the dark times. Tension gradually
increases and drives your interest throughout. Clever handling
of sequences like the cellar beneath the school where the girls
hide, and the Gestapo torture room, heightens suspense. Yes and
guess what, those damnable Nazis are behaving badly - again.
In a neatly observed cynical touch, the indifferent
Nazi secretary in the interrogation room is manicuring her nails
while a captured girl is given some non-cosmetic painful nail
surgery a la Odette. The action scenes are finely tuned
from the opening shoot-out in the railway yards which establishes
Louise as an effective sharp shooter. The pace seldom wilts and
the director keeps you wired to the screen. The last sequence
is quite moving.
Director Jean-Paul Salome (Phantom of the Louvre)
sets out to honour the women of the French Resistance, and while
there’s no doubt his film does that effectively, it’s
also an above-average tense story of the underground war which
should appeal to those who liked the excellent Black Book.
Sophie Marceau (Anthony Zimmer) and Julie
Depardieu (Un Secret) head up the female team lifting
the production out of the norm with their heart felt performances,
not to mention the well tempered sympathetic reading of Deborah
Francois (The Page Turner) as Gaelle, the gentle girl
who believes in God. They’ve created characters to which
you can relate; while German actor Moritz Bleibtreu (Munich)
manages to capture the unsettling personality of the enigmatic
Nazi Colonel.
From the priest’s blessing and cyanide pills
as the women set off on their mission, to the exciting hospital
escape, and the harrowing torture sequences, this is all first
class cinema. Here’s a chance for those not into foreign
films to go and enjoy one. You’ll be carried along by the
tightly directed action, subtitles not withstanding.
8/10
While the poster for this
film looked like a wartime take on Charlie’s Angels,
nothing could be further from the truth. It’s a gripping
war thriller based on true events concerning five French commando
girls who return to France on an important assignment which will
have a major effect on the Allied war effort. The success of D-Day
might depend on the outcome.