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Samuel Le Bihan as Dris. Photo: Columbia Tristar & Samuel Goldwyn Films

LA MENTALE THE CODE
Directed by: Manuel Boursinhac.
Produced by: Alain Goldman.
Written by: Bibi Naceri & Manuel Boursinhac.
Director of Photography: Kevin Jewison.
Edited by: Hélène de Luze.
Music by: Thierry "Titi" Robin.
Released by: Columbia Tristar & Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Country of Origin: France. 116 min. Rated: R.
With: Samuel Le Bihan, Samy Naceri, Clotilde Courau & Marie Guillard.

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
February 12, 2004

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