French writer & director Manuel Boursinhac's "The Code" qualifies as an old-fashioned, slam-bang, fast-paced, wages of crime morality thriller about gang rivalry among Gallic gangsters. Scenarist Bibi Naceri, who helped pen "District B-13" with legendary French maestro Luc Besson, co-wrote this gritty underworld yarn with Boursinhac. "The Code" compares favorably with Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas." Although this urban actioneer has its share of daylight scenes, the overall effect that writer & director Boursinhac achieves is one of film noir. The vulnerable but sympathetic ex-con hero finds his life spiraling out of control and his lust for the wrong woman dragging him back to a life of larceny. The chief criticism of "The Code" is that is represents the umpteenth time that a filmmaker has made a crime saga about a criminal struggling to resist the urge to perform one last job. Predictable, despite its upbeat romantic wrap-up, this grim gang war opus contains several strong scenes, several brilliant performances, and a depth not usually trod by its competitors. The Columbia DVD region 1 release that I saw of this above-average French thriller preserved its widescreen format and rookie cinematographer Kevin Johnson's spartan compositions add volumes to the atmosphere. Everything has a slightly skewed effect with a grainy appearance to the film itself suggesting its abrasive locales and morality.
Dris (Samuel L. Bihan of "Brotherhood of the Wolf") has been out of jail briefly as the story unfolds and he is trying to traipse the straight and narrow with a renewed commitment to his wife Lise (Marie Guillard of "The Fifth Element) and a low-paying job at a food market. Dris has two younger brothers. Yanis (Sammy Naceri of "The Professional") is the older of the two, hot-headed, greedy, and fiercely devoted to his brothers if his monetary interests can be served. On the other hand, Mel (David Saracino) is the youngest, a good car thief, but even more hot-headed and uncontrollable than his opportunist brother Yanis. Yanis has engineered armored car heist planned with inside help, but he insists that Dris join them the action. Dris is understandably reluctant. He loves his wife and he wants to stay straight, but Yanis is determined to have Dris on the team no matter what it takes. Yanis visits Lise and defiantly warns her that he will ruin their relationship if she doesn't loosen her hold on Dris. No sooner has he said and done this than he trots out Dris's former girlfriend, a Gypsy sex kitten named Nina (Clotilde Courau), to lure him back to a life of crime. Dris comes crawling back to Lise with apologies in hand and begs her to forgive him. Nevertheless, Dris winds up involved with Yanis more on account of his youngest brother Mel who finds himself in trouble with another mob. The scene where Yanis and Dris nearly kick a drug dealer to death is the high point of this melodrama. Essentially, this gripping scene represents the turning point of the action. Unwittingly, Dris finds himself infected by his contagiously evil sibling and emotionally drawn back to crime when he defends his youngest brother. Eventually, Mel winds up in deeper trouble than either Dris or Yanis can get him out of this side of the grave.
Indeed, "The Code" covers familiar enough ground but Boursinhac doesn't squander a second in this realistic portrayal of contemporary French criminals and their boundary disputes that have tragic consequences. Boursinhac only pulls his punches in the hopelessly romantic finale after a brutal gunfight between the two gangs. Boursinhac's crisp direction and the superlative performances by Sammy Naceri as the combustible Yanis and David Saracino as the car thief whose ego is too big for his britches fuel this feverish thriller. "The Code" is as an old-fashion crime melodrama because the good guys are rewarded with survival for their virtue and the villains are punished with death for their criminal deeds.
Dris (Samuel L. Bihan of "Brotherhood of the Wolf") has been out of jail briefly as the story unfolds and he is trying to traipse the straight and narrow with a renewed commitment to his wife Lise (Marie Guillard of "The Fifth Element) and a low-paying job at a food market. Dris has two younger brothers. Yanis (Sammy Naceri of "The Professional") is the older of the two, hot-headed, greedy, and fiercely devoted to his brothers if his monetary interests can be served. On the other hand, Mel (David Saracino) is the youngest, a good car thief, but even more hot-headed and uncontrollable than his opportunist brother Yanis. Yanis has engineered armored car heist planned with inside help, but he insists that Dris join them the action. Dris is understandably reluctant. He loves his wife and he wants to stay straight, but Yanis is determined to have Dris on the team no matter what it takes. Yanis visits Lise and defiantly warns her that he will ruin their relationship if she doesn't loosen her hold on Dris. No sooner has he said and done this than he trots out Dris's former girlfriend, a Gypsy sex kitten named Nina (Clotilde Courau), to lure him back to a life of crime. Dris comes crawling back to Lise with apologies in hand and begs her to forgive him. Nevertheless, Dris winds up involved with Yanis more on account of his youngest brother Mel who finds himself in trouble with another mob. The scene where Yanis and Dris nearly kick a drug dealer to death is the high point of this melodrama. Essentially, this gripping scene represents the turning point of the action. Unwittingly, Dris finds himself infected by his contagiously evil sibling and emotionally drawn back to crime when he defends his youngest brother. Eventually, Mel winds up in deeper trouble than either Dris or Yanis can get him out of this side of the grave.
Indeed, "The Code" covers familiar enough ground but Boursinhac doesn't squander a second in this realistic portrayal of contemporary French criminals and their boundary disputes that have tragic consequences. Boursinhac only pulls his punches in the hopelessly romantic finale after a brutal gunfight between the two gangs. Boursinhac's crisp direction and the superlative performances by Sammy Naceri as the combustible Yanis and David Saracino as the car thief whose ego is too big for his britches fuel this feverish thriller. "The Code" is as an old-fashion crime melodrama because the good guys are rewarded with survival for their virtue and the villains are punished with death for their criminal deeds.