Berwick Film Society

France 2004 (UK release 2006) l 1hr 50min l Dir: Olivier Marchal l Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil l Language: French, English subtitles l Type: Detective drama l Awards: 9 nominations

This is a French detective thriller that packs a punch. Filmed in 2004 and released here in 2006, the film’s title is the address of the Criminal Investigations Division of the Paris police. The pressure is on to track down the perpetrator gang of a series of violent robberies who are running rings around the police. Two individual policemen – originally decent but submitting to his dark side- Léo Vrinks (Auteuil) and the thoroughly unscrupulous, resentful Denis Klein (Depardieu) head up two rival police units: the Organised Crime Unit and the Anti-Gang Squad. Both men must compete for the newly vacant top post of Chief of Police. Bringing the criminal gang down will be the accolade to result in the promotion. But who will get there first? And how far will each go to get the reward?

Director Olivier Marchal likened his film to the American thriller “Heat” (released 1996) as it was his inspiration. In “36” he also makes a powerful homage to the “policier” genre of French films which began as early as the 1930s but was at its height during the 1950s-‘70’s. This genre can be identified through the policier’s narrative focus upon crime and the criminal world, rather than on the police per se that the title assumes. The protagonists tended not to be heroes and were most likely to be on the wrong side of the law or corrupt in some way. (One of the most memorable stars of the policier was Alan Delon).

Disturbingly, the story of “36” is adapted from real events and characters. The film’s Director was a former Parisian policeman and witnessed extreme corruption among his colleagues at first hand. He based his film on the experience. But times he says have, apparently, changed the way the police operate in Paris for the better.