The Last Deadly Mission

A revolting setting, repulsive crimes. Corruption, brutality, fascist practices. Dead people, wounded animals. The situation is bad and it will get even worse. There is no brighter outlook. And floundering in this cesspool is a half-sober Auteuil. French directors are world champions in abusing their protagonists, as seen not only in torture-porn horror flicks, but also in extremely bleak crime thrillers like The Last Deadly Mission. Marchal is not interested only in the body and the possibilities of its deformation, but also in the soul, thanks to which the contrived despair is at least “theoretically” underpinned by existential philosophy. The only constants are birth and death, both of which the director ruthlessly throws at us in the climax, which with its affected grand tragedy (he will be named Louis) locks all of the film’s realistic qualities (which were initially present) in a small, dark chamber. I had to laugh at the pretentious seriousness of the final minutes, though of course I didn’t find the depiction of a human being as eternally drowning in shit to be entirely unlikable… 70% (11/07/2013)

The Last Deadly Mission is a gloomy film-noir crime thriller in the vein of Fincher’s Se7en or Zodiac, with a powerful atmosphere of despondency, the great Daniel Auteuil, the beautiful and fragile Olivia Bonamy, dialogue scenes with dirty napkins in an ashtray with cold whiskey spilled on them. It is a brilliantly made film in technical terms, but the screenplay could have cut down a bit on Auteuil’s drinking. He drinks probably more than Nic Cage in Leaving Las Vegas and it makes the film seem 20 minutes longer than it actually is. But all that diligently constructed gloom still deserves a solid four stars. (02/15/2009)

The Last Deadly Mission is a dark psychodrama with a criminal theme, shot in the style of classic French detective stories. The main role of the broken policeman, who transforms his futile struggle for justice into total self-destruction, was played very convincingly by Daniel Auteuil. The movie gradually picks up the pace until towards the end it uncompromisingly explodes into a crushing finale. (75%) (02/23/2023)

The French have done it again. MR 73 is one of the grittiest crime dramas I've ever seen. This film is about honour! An homage to the torture, the courage, and the lives of the people the film is based on. The biggest highlight is definitely the birth at the end, which convinced me that I never wanted to see one with my own eyes in my life. (02/18/2014)

I had been putting off watching this Olivier Marchal film for a long time. Having heard nothing but praise from various sources, my expectations were understandably high. And now, I can unfortunately state with a clear conscience that the director has better works in his collection. The acting is top-notch, no doubt about it. Daniel Auteuil shone once again, just as he did in 36th Precinct, delivering another one-man show. However, the problem lies in the painfully slow pace, with almost nothing happening throughout the entire runtime. I was expecting a thrilling chase of the main killer, but that never materialized. Sure, the visuals are among the best I’ve seen. I haven’t seen a detective film that exudes such boundless pessimism in every shot for a long time. The music is also enjoyable. But I can't forgive the film’s pace, I really can’t. The ending did veer a bit off the rails (there I felt a touch of the old Marchal), but it wasn’t enough. For me, it’s 6.5/10. (05/07/2023)