gridoon2018
Director Régis Wargnier gained international fame (and a somewhat controversial Best Foreign Film Oscar) in 1992 for "Indochine", but 15 years later he made what can best be described as a b-movie that in most countries went (and deservedly so) straight to DVD. It's not unwatchable, but it is mediocre. The story lacks propulsion for so long (the film runs nearly two full hours) that when the plot finally starts twisting and turning, it's hard to summon much interest. I must admit that it took me two different sittings to complete the viewing. The cast is good (this was Michel Serrault's last film), although "Indochine"'s star Linh Dan Pham has only a decorative role here. ** out of 4.
Claudio Carvalho
In Paris, many citizens go to the precinct since the doors of their apartments have been sprayed with a 4 and the letters "clt". When a dweller is found mysteriously dead in his apartment, Detective Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg (José Garcia) and his partner Danglard (Lucas Belvaux) investigate the case and discover that plague may have killed the victim. Meanwhile, in the center of Paris, the former actor Joss Le Guern (Olivier Gourmet) survives reading advertisements in a square for the public; when he receives weird messages about an outbreak of plague that is coming to Paris, the former professor Hervé Decambrais (Michel Serrault) requests the warnings and goes to the library to research the meaning of the text, where he meets Adamsberg. Together they find that a maniac is killing people using flees contaminated by rats and spreading the disease in the city; without any clue, the police force do not have how to avoid the panic in Paris."Pars Vite et Reviens Tard" is a solid and classy French thriller with an original and engaging story; excellent directions and screenplay that succeed in developing several characters and situation in only 116 minutes running time; magnificent performances, highlighting the veteran Michel Serrault; and awesome music score. This movie is absolutely underrated in IMDb with only 5.4/10. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Sinais da Morte" ("Signs of the Death")
writers_reign
Yet another entertaining policier from France and one of the last films made by the late and very much lamented Michel Serrault, which would be reason enough to see it but as it turns out that reason is superfluous because the film stands on its own two feet as an excellent thriller with an unusual storyline which begins with mysterious signs painted on doorways and embraces the introduction into Paris of bubonic plague to which no one is immune least of all cop Lucas Belvaux, taking a break from directing to play second lead here. Olivier Gourmet is a modern version of the old Town Crier - and though I go to Paris several times each year I've yet to see one, although that doesn't mean they don't exist - who collects letters daily and then reads them out publicly, unaware that they are being 'treated' with the plague virus. The mystery, of course, is Who and Why and we get there in the end but not before a well-balanced mixture of the cerebral and physical such as the sequence where a suspect escapes on roller blades and is pursued on foot and by car or the linking of the cerebral in the shape of Michel Serrault and the physical represented by Marie Gillain - in her third film in the salles this week - who almost chokes him to death before herself being pursued underneath the supports of a bridge from which she eventually plunges into the Seine. All in all a very satisfactory thriller.
Ronny Ferrat
I just read the book, a refreshing thriller, unfortunately i didn't get hold of the DVD yet, but, give the film a chance before you judge. Remember: Quite often, good books are turned into bad films and vice versa......... Fred Vargas has given proof of her ability to write unconventional, but nevertheless interesting books, alas, she is definitely not responsible for what happens to her writing, once she has sold the rights, I mean Adamsberg is not Harry Potter........ But still she is doing fine, her books are very entertaining,and what even counts more is that they add new life to an otherwise rather mature genre.
AD
