Rogue City

Several groups of corrupt cops who (un)knowingly go on a hunt against each other when two warring gangs enter into the war, where millions of euros are also involved. Everyone plays their own games and get involved in internal affairs, but as soon as it is not just about leaking information, they need to get their hands dirty. They will start to get into it deep where no one has a problem snitching on anyone, using blackmail, changing sides with a snap of their fingers and.... Yes, it's another one of Marchal's macho corrupt crime worlds, where you don´t come across any altruists. This time, however, the level of “uncompromisingness" is extremely high in an unprecedented way. Not necessarily because of the naturalistic action, but rather in the impact and ending. Each action and reaction triggers a corresponding action/reaction and thus results in a hopeless chain reaction that cannot be taken back. Yes, it's so purely Marchal that it could not have been more. If it weren't so perfectly directed, written and acted, it would resemble an unwanted self-parody not unlike the one that "happened" to Snyder and Bay. But in fact, it is perfectly directed, written and acted. And so the result is a genuinely rough, uncompromising old-school genre film, which is no longer widely seen in the motion-picture industry. After all, even in France, where this subgenre is quite popular, such a thing is more often seen in a TV series. (10/30/2020)

A gang war is raging in Marseilles and the local cops are right in the middle of it. But not everyone is kicking for the good guys, and the head of the local special unit has to figure out how to save his colleagues when those who should be fighting with them are also on the side of the enemy. Rogue City is a proper cop drama that can be pretty tough, too. Too bad director and writer Olivier Marchal felt he had to surprise the viewer with a twist every ten minutes. Less is sometimes more, and this is an example where it would have been worth stepping on the brakes a bit, because at times Rough City becomes slightly laughable. (11/04/2020)

Netflix, France and the great Olivier Marchal! This is a very solid and manly gangster flick about corruption, cops playing crooks and the gangs of the criminal underworld in Marseille. The film is closest to Marchal's hit Department 36. The characters are well portrayed, the story has unexpected turns, there’s sharp and brutal action, and the final five minutes are literally shocking and breathtaking. Some may be bothered by the slower style of storytelling, but I forgot to breathe somewhere from the 30-minute mark and only caught my breath at the end. The uncompromising and brutal France is back and once again under the baton of Netflix. Story****, Action****, Humor>No, Violence****, Entertainment****, Music***, Visual****, Atmosphere****, Suspense****. 8/10. (10/31/2020)

An interestingly convoluted crime drama, but with a minimum of truly memorable scenes, and the few purposefully shocking ones don't disabuse the viewer of the notion that Bronx is a vastly underdeveloped film with enormous potential, because Marseille isn't on screen all that often. Department 36 still reigns supreme. (11/15/2020)

I really love the French crime genre. The land of the Gallic rooster doesn't mess around with its detective films; most of the characters can be categorized as human trash, the films are filled with a pessimistic tone where no one can be trusted, and they aren't afraid to show brutality or significantly twist the main story (the US is starting to fall behind France in this genre; the naturalistic approach always gets me). Rogue City is a perfectly mixed cocktail of all these aspects. Olivier Marchal is among the top-tier French directors, and his experience with police forces is evident; his portrayal of the workings of detectives and other units is masterful. The film might suffer a bit from its overwhelming number of characters; it takes some time to get oriented. On the other hand, almost all the questions were answered over time, and I managed to keep up with the names. The action is top-notch, always brief but more intense and brutal—something the French excel at (the construction site scene is absolutely luxurious). The main character is a likable and charismatic individual. I might have rated it more in the 70 to 75 percent range, but the ending nearly knocked my jaw off; I was stunned that the creators dared to go that route. For me, it’s 8/10. (11/09/2020)