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(France) Directed by Pitof (Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, Alien: Resurrection, Les Visiteurs, The City of Lost Children, Astérix and Obélix vs Caesar).
Cast: Depardieu in the title role, Guillaume Canet, Inès Sastre, Foamed Maaskri, André Dussolier.
Plot: This film is loosely based on the life of a historical French figure, Eugène François Vidocq (1775-1857), a French criminal who gave up a life of crime to become a detective. The story of the film is set in 1830 shortly after the abdication of Charles X. Vidocq, ex-convict and ex-cop, and founder of the first ever detective agency, is murdered. Etienne (Guillaume Canet), a young journalist and self-proclaimed biographer, sets out from his small village to discover his idol's assassin. His investigation starts out with a meeting with those who knew Vidocq: Preah (Inès Sastre), a manipulative courtesan; Nimier (Foamed Maaskri), detective and friend of the dead; and Lautrennes (André Dussolier), a super cop always flanked by twin bodyguards. Etienne also takes over the last investigation left incomplete by Vidocq. It leads him to the alchemist, a mysterious character who could responsible for several murders.
Production Notes: This film is getting a lot of press because it's the first feature film shot completely in high-definition video. Look at the trailer (below) to see how STUNNING this is! The filming took place in France in Spring of 2000.
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