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Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
LA MENTALE THE CODE
The cumbersome title disguises a straightforward contemporary gangster film by
way
of France. Bearing more than a little passing resemblance to, say, The
Godfather
saga or Jean-Pierre Melville’s Bob Le Flambeur and other like-minded
films, La Mentale the Code
recalls an inevitable sense of déjà vu. Dris (Samuel Le Bihan), an ex-con and mama’s
boy, is yanked from the straight and narrow back to a life of crime. At first,
he
resists the overtures of his cousin and former partner in crime, Yanis. Also
enticing
him is his former girlfriend, Nina, a proud gypsy thief. But no sooner is Dris
warning his drug-dealing
younger brother, Mel, against this kind of life, than he is
coming to Mel’s rescue. And once Dris beats
one man to a pulp, there’s no turning back, abandoning his wife in the
process.
There are perfunctory references to the cultural background of Dris and his
family,
establishing the familial bonds, but their French-Arab background
merely serves as an outsider status. As the titular code, of loyalty among
thieves,
is enforced, violence escalates, leading to many moments of taut
suspense. The outcome of an elaborate heist executed by Dris and his gang is
especially
well paced. But the pacing throughout much of the film is a bit sluggish for a
successful megaplex crossover, and
the characterizations are too predictable to stand out in the arthouse
circuit.
However, the real draw of the film is the lead, Samuel Le Bihan (Audrey
Tautou’s co-star in He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not and star of
Brotherhood of the Wolf). Tall, dark and handsome, he possesses a
strong, effortlessly intense
presence. He should have Hollywood at his feet, especially if he masters the
English language. He’s more the French
Liam Neeson than the next Olivier Martinez. KT
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