Directed by:
Frédéric TellierCinematography:
Matias BoucardCast:
Raphaël Personnaz, Nathalie Baye, Olivier Gourmet, Michel Vuillermoz, Christa Théret, Thierry Neuvic, Adama Niane, William Nadylam, Chloé Stefani (more)VOD (1)
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Paris, 1991. The true story of Franck Magne, a young inspector starting out in the Criminal Investigation Department at 36 quai des Orfèvres, in the Crime Squad. His first case deals with the murder of a young woman. His investigation leads him to study similar cases that he's the only one to link together. He's quickly confronted by the reality of police investigation work: the lack of equipment, bureaucracy... For 8 years, obsessed by this investigation, he'll hunt the serial killer that no one else believes exists. As a decade goes by, the victims multiply and leads become muddled. The gap between the brutal murders grows shorter. Franck Magne hunts down the monster that begins to emerge, so as to stop him for good. The inspector from the Crime Squad becomes the architect of the most complex and vast investigation ever undertaken by the French Criminal Investigation Department. During it, Magne crosses paths with Frédérique Pons, a dedicated lawyer determined to understand the destiny of the man hidden behind this merciless killer. The film plunges us into 10 years of investigation, amongst opinionated cops, determined judges, conscientious forensic policemen, and impassioned lawyers who will all be affected by this case that became the sensational "Guy Georges, the killer of Eastern Paris" case. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (9)
A great "police procedural". A skillfully composed and rhythmic mosaic of exhausting investigation, frustration and lack of cooperation. A must-see for fans of distant detective films (and at the same time characteristically moralist and socially responsible). Given how few such things arise, it's definitely a great pleaser. Fréderic Tellier is a man to watch!
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This was a pleasant surprise at the 2015 French Film Festival. In full glory, a genre returns to the scene that French cinema was once proud of - the old-fashioned crime film, this time shot in the style of Fincher's Zodiac. Not as a conflict between the police and the criminal underworld, but as a difficult and lengthy process of collecting clues, putting together small pieces that someone might later be able to assemble to make sense. A maze of clues, dead ends, and mistakes that cost the lives of more victims. Serial Killer 1 describes the case of a serial killer who terrified the inhabitants of Paris for years and kept the police apparatus busy. It shows how easy it is to stray from the right track, and how tricky it is to apply rational thinking where the opponent lacks it. The viewer follows the intricate investigation and at the same time, the court trial with the suspect, where the filmmakers leave him in uncertainty and tension, whether that antisocial oddball spreading negative energy around him from the position of the accused is the actual perpetrator. Overall impression: 95%.
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I won’t pretend that I didn’t have big expectations of this crime investigation movie. Especially of the story and the atmosphere, which I had hoped to be a return to the 1970s and 1980s, i.e. the peak of the French crime films with Belmondo, Ventura and Delon in the lead. What I got instead was a not-so-awful movie, but as far as the actors go, it simply didn’t satisfy me the way I’d expect it to. The most charming character was probably the killer, whose performance was extraordinary. The investigators merely seemed to exist. They just “were” and “investigated”. But overall, nothing was really happening. I had an issue with the story outline. The movie was playing, time was passing by and it was obvious how things were going to turn out. The final shock that I’m used to with French crime investigation movies just wasn’t there. But it definitely wasn’t bad. It was just a modern-day time crime investigation standard that has nothing to dazzle with the second time you’re watching.
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A realistically shot French crime drama that evokes older French films with actors like Gabin and Delon. But it's modern, it's raw, and it's quite gritty when it comes to the crime scene shots. But the focus is mainly on the characters and their relationships and their development, which puts the story a bit in the background.
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A dense and well-played procedural crime movie made in a style of the best movies of the seventies of the French genre school; which is further enhanced by the stylization of Personnaze to young Delon. I think the best thing we can say about the quality of Serial Killer 1 is the fact that it can easily keep up with Fincher's Zodiac and it would have been a success even if made at that time. Let alone today, when such good movies are rather exceptional.
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