This stylish crime thriller based on true experiences in the French force during the 1980s brings two of France’s male stars tête-a-tête. Written and directed by one-time Paris cop Oliver Marchal, 36 Quai des Orfèvres tells a dark, twisted tale of honour and betrayal in the grand tradition of a ‘policier’. Set in a bleak, grey Paris, a number of deadly heists carried out by a viscious ‘van gang’, have left the police humiliated. The chief of police, Robert Mancini (Dussollier) has made it clear to the two squad leaders under his command, Leo Vrinks (Auteuil) and Denis Klein (Depardieu), that whoever manages to bust this gang will become his successor at 36 Quai des Orfevres (the French equivalent of Scotland Yard). Vrinks is a Dirty Harry kind of cop, often worse than the villains he’s after but unquestionably loyal to his squad and comfortable working on the streets rather than taking position of Commissioner. Klein on the other hand will stop at nothing to get to the top, desperate for power, past caring who he hurts to get what he wants. Tensions grow between the two men to the point they rarely speak to each other, yet the friction between them is gripping. Depardieu gives a haunting performance, arguably one of his best ever, as a vulgar cop whose ambition and jealousy has rotted his soul, yet under his arrogant smirk he manages to convey a defiant vulnerability. SD
