The Emperor of Paris

Jean-François Richet traveled back in time to deliver a gritty drama set in Napoleonic France, a period where no one spared anyone, and frankly, it’s a time you wouldn’t want to live in. I was quite surprised by the high budget (€22 million), which is not something I often see in films from the land of the Gallic rooster. However, the investment paid off; you can see the money on screen at every turn. As for the story, Vincent Cassel is a seasoned actor who has appeared in many types of roles and always managed to captivate the audience with his talent. Here, he is convincing as Vidocq. I appreciated the gritty tone, which Richet handles impeccably (as evidenced by his two-part masterpiece Mesrine: Killer Instinct). The gunfights are naturalistic, and there are even some raw, close-quarter battles between characters. The story and the film itself can be considered top-notch, providing insight into a character who played a significant role in history. The standout element for me was the character of the hussar and his storyline, which concluded very effectively (a real cherry on top from a script perspective). I’m giving it 85%. P.S. When I saw Marco Beltrami's name in the credits, I immediately understood why the soundtrack was so well done. (04/14/2020)

Although Olga Kurylenko was trying as hard as she could to ruin my overall impression with her traditionally non-acting performance, I ignored her and focused my attention on the excellent Vincent Cassel instead. It was no masterpiece, but even though I’m not very fond of French cinema, I have to admit that I had quite a good time. This was mainly due to great action scenes, although the seppuku performed with a saber was way off. But never mind, I appreciate the effort. (08/06/2019)

It's not as harsh and gloomy as the famous psychedelic Phantom of Paris from 2001, where the title song was composed by Apocalyptica and it always starts to play in my head whenever I remember it. It’s still harsh and gloomy enough for today’s audience. This is mainly due to Vincent Cassel, who’ll probably play these tough, disheveled characters until the day he dies. But I like this. For many people here it is probably too old school to give it good rating; otherwise I can’t explain why a period-set mystery like this would be rated under 70%. If you know something about Vidocq’s historical importance, the ending of the film cannot fail to bring you joy. (11/15/2019)

Jean-François Richet sometimes rushes a bit too much, and at other times he needlessly stalemates in an attempt to squeeze in some of those "sort of artsy shots", but Vincent Cassel and his crew are fine badasses, Paris is wonderfully nasty, and it has a fine Dumasian adventure story feel. If Vidocq comes back with a sequel, I'll be happy. (03/27/2020)

France, Vincent Cassel and the best historical film of this year. The main character is the dreaded Vidocq, a famous thief with a great reputation who is forced to work with the police due to adverse conditions and decides to clean the streets of murderers, thieves and similar vermin. Great period atmosphere, a breathtaking Vincent, great narrative pace, awesome sets and plenty of suspense and of course a piece of history. Good stuff. 85%. (08/08/2019)