An Exercise In Nonsense

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

This French movie starts as a classic mystery. A young police detective watches his friend and chess mentor murdering a strange man. From this moment, this fast paced thriller takes us from France to Germany, from war secrets to deep stolen art trading, from Nazi hunting to the war of the gulf. The movie has a very interesting and provocative (almost seductive) screenplay, written by the director and other colleagues including famous writer Semprun. Consider yourself warned, you should keep paying attention, if you forget this is not a Hollywood film, with every explanation said twice for the sake of the distracted and the popcorn go-getter. If you miss something you will feel utterly lost, but don't worry it is worth the reward. Is a very engaging story and will keep you guessing until the end, thanks to its fast paced editing. The only weakness will be the awful theme song on the end credits. While you listen to it, you will feel like listening an old James Bond Theme sang by a Russian cover party singer. Terrible. But don't worry since it is played over the end credits you can always Fast Forward or mute your TV.