The Lookout - Fatal Ambush

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Movie
German title The Lookout - Fatal Ambush
Original title Le guetteur
Country of production France , Belgium , Italy
original language French
Publishing year 2012
length 89 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Michele Placido
script Denis Brusseaux
Cédric Melon
production Fabio Conversi
Eric Tavitian
music Nicolas Errèra
Evgueni Galperine
camera Arnaldo Catinari
cut Consuelo Catucci
Sébastien Prangère
occupation

The Lookout is a 2012 crime film directed by Michele Placido . It was made in French, Belgian and Italian co-production.

action

Mattei is the head of a unit that is investigating a case of gang crime: For two years a group around the criminal Nico has been attacking banks and has escaped 14 times so far. Nico is shadowed and Mattei knows that he and three other men will soon rob a bank. When the gang was arrested, shots were suddenly fired by a sniper . A police officer is killed after shooting Nico. The gang, which also includes Eric, David and Sniper Vincent Kaminski, flees at Eric's suggestion to doctor Franck, who is treating Nico. Vincent distrusts the doctor, who has not been allowed to practice for a long time, but does not give the reason for it. Éric, in turn, had his reasons for naming Franck: He is addicted to morphine and is supplied by Franck. He also owes him money. Since Nico won't be back on his feet for two months, Vincent decides not to divide up the stolen money until then. He hides it in a remote barn in a water basin.

Vincent's whereabouts are revealed to the police through an anonymous phone call. Mattei arrests Vincent, about whom there is no personal information in the files. Vincent names Kathy Beaumond as his lawyer - she's his ex-girlfriend, whom he left two years ago. At that time Vincent was involved in a raid abroad, in which he was also active as a sniper. Since his act could not be proven, Kathy arranged for his release. Vincent reveals where the money from the robbery can be found. Shortly afterwards, Kathy is attacked in her apartment and brutally murdered. David, who was about to visit her, sees a man coming out of her house and follows him to the hiding place for the ransom. Shortly afterwards, David's trail is also lost. Nico, in turn, who received a call from David, instructs his friend Arnaud to shadow a man.

Vincent staged a fight in prison in which he was injured. He can escape during transport to the hospital. He drives to the hiding place for the ransom, but finds only David's body in the water basin. He seeks out Franck, who should lead him to Eric, but Franck plays wrong and flees. In turn, Eric learns that both David and Kathy were murdered. He knows Franck was the culprit. Vincent refrains from killing Eric because he is terminally ill with a brain tumor and therefore takes the morphine. Arnaud meanwhile, on Nico's order, has been following Franck, who is increasingly driving to a remote farm. Here Nico and Arnaud look for him. In the rooms, Nico finds pictures of tortured women and a still caged, naked and abused woman named Sonia, whom he frees. Arnaud is shot by Franck. Nico and Sonia flee, but Franck executes Nico in a wooded area. Vincent has since found out from Arnaud's friends where he is and appears in the forest. Sonia can save herself to him. Shortly afterwards, Vincent discovers Nico's body. He brings Sonia to Paris and sends her to Mattei. His men dig up Franck's camp and find numerous women's bodies. They also recover the dead Nicos.

However, Mattei can hardly concentrate on the hunt for Franck, as he is more interested in Vincent's arrest. In the meantime he has learned the background to himself: Vincent was stationed as a sniper in Afghanistan with Mattei's son Damien and another man five years ago. Vincent killed Damien here after he went nuts and demanded the murder of civilians. After a large-scale search, Franck is arrested. He is supposed to be taken to the judge, but Mattei suspects that they will also meet Vincent on the way there. In fact, the convoy is shot at by a sniper just before the justice building. A police officer can shoot the shooter and Mattei forgets his duty, leaves the car in which Franck is also being transported and goes to the building where the sniper is. However, it is not Vincent, but Eric, whom Mattei also shoots in self-defense. Mattei learns by radio that Franck has escaped. Mattei locates Franck with the sniper rifle and shoots him. Franck collapses in a side street and is confronted by Vincent. Mattei also comes and threatens Vincent. When Franck shoots Mattei, Vincent kills Franck with a knife. Vincent and Mattei threaten each other with a gun until Vincent throws his away and leaves. Mattei lets him go.

production

The Lookout was filmed primarily in Paris . The costumes were created by Virginie Montel and Isabelle Pannetier , the film construction was done by Jean-Jacques Gernolle . The production costs amounted to around 15 million euros. The film was released on September 5, 2012 in French and Belgian cinemas and was seen by 233,068 admissions in France. It will be released on DVD in Germany on October 10, 2013.

Fanny Ardant can be seen in a cameo in the film as the wife of Giovanni, who is supposed to issue Franck with new papers. Violante Placido, who plays Nico's wife Anna in the film, is the daughter of director Michele Placido.

criticism

The French press panned the film: Le Monde criticized that it was overloaded and therefore no plot could really develop. The Libération felt the mix of genres - thriller, family drama, War, Thriller - to have failed, so the director had indeed want to create a tasty mixture, but only a bland broth arose. For Le Parisien , The Lookout was a "failed crime thriller" with numerous implausible scenes.

The British Guardian compared the film with early works by David Fincher , so he was "dense, at times complex, but still light-footed".

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release Certificate for The Lookout - Deadly Ambush . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , July 2013 (PDF; test number: 139 795 K).
  2. ↑ a b Cf. allocine.fr
  3. ↑ Jean-François Rauger: "Le Guetteur" trop de sujets pour un seul movie . lemondre.fr, September 4, 2012.
  4. ↑ Emile Rabaté: "Le Guetteur" bas de casse . next.libértion.fr, September 4, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Le Guetteur": un polar raté * . leparisien.fr , September 5, 2012.
  6. ^ The Lookout . theguardian.com , January 4, 2013.