Rating: R
Genre:
Crime
Release Date: 08/14/2001
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English/French
Run Time: 96 Minutes
Flags: Graphic Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language, Substance Abuse (Alcohol, Drugs), Drug Content
Distributor/Studio: Live/Artisan
An American ex-con gets caught up in a Parisian bank heist that goes wrong in this ultra-violent thriller. Zed (
Eric Stoltz), a safe-cracking expert fresh out of prison, travels to France to participate in a robbery planned by his friend Eric (
Jean-Hughes Anglade). But first, Zed decides to indulge in some relaxation with a gorgeous, kind-hearted prostitute by the name of Zoe (
Julie Delpy). This idyll, however, is interrupted by Eric, who leads Zed and the other criminals on a long night of drinking, drugging, and debauchery. The next day, the thieves find themselves hung over and exhausted, and the plan soon goes disastrously wrong, turning into a hostage situation. Even worse for Zed, he discovers that the lovely Zoe also works as a teller at the bank, forcing him into a tricky moral dilemma. Writer and director
Roger Avary, best known as the co-screenwriter of
Pulp Fiction, creates a similar combination of black comedy, extreme violence, and hip attitude. Critics of
Quentin Tarantino's films raised similar objections to
Avary's reliance on bloody violence and a detached sensibility, while the film's fans acclaimed its fast-paced action.
~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide