Le Choix des armes

France is my go-to when I'm feeling down—especially their comedies. They always lift my spirits and brighten every scene. But it never crossed my mind to try one of their classic crime dramas, especially when I'm in a good mood. Those films are usually more somber... but real. For some reason, I avoided them. Now, I realize that was a huge mistake. These films don’t just have incredible, natural performances; they’re packed with powerful stories that pull you in deeper with every minute. It's beautiful, honestly. I have no words. Yves Montand and Catherine Deneuve were absolutely brilliant—every serious scene carried such grace, and I believed every moment of their performances. Even more, the film somehow made me believe in humanity over hatred. Gérard Depardieu, in particular, set such a high bar with his role that you couldn't imagine anything else. Choice of Arms ended up being my gateway into the world of French crime dramas, and it’s a shame more people haven’t rated it. (08.01.2012)

In the film, three stars of French cinema came together, and the whole film exudes the ambition to shoot an impressive crime thriller in the spirit of the best traditions of French crime films. The introduction, combined with the arrival of the unpredictable fugitive Mickey, played by Gérard Depardieu in an animalistic manner, as a member of the new generation of a gang unrelated to the rules of the old underworld (we witness the unnecessary brutal murder of two police officers), is promising and seems to be a return to the gritty school of the 70s. However, soon false tones of sentimentality, strange character psychology, and unconvincing social criticism presented by an ambitious police officer creep into the film, and the good impression is gone. I can declare that I disagree with the behavior of some of the film's characters; here, the final actions of Montand and Depardieu are more of an enigma to me on a human level... Overall impression: 55%. (18.11.2013)