The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
    • Shows & On demand
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Fund us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • Tumblr

  • RSS


CultureCinemaMovie reviews

Dead in France

Dead in France | Movie review
20 August 2012
Jennifer Atkinson
Jennifer Atkinson
Avatar
Jennifer Atkinson
20 August 2012

A film about making a killing, both financially and literally, Dead in France is a self-confessed French noir film full of English people…

In trying to recreate Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels comes Dead in France, a film so saturated in Ritchie and Tarantino imitation that it borders on the ludicrous.  However, fitting into the crime/comedy genre (increasingly popular at the moment), Dead in France – a story about a contract killer – “hits” all the right notes on the gore front, and provides some great comic interjections too.

Starring relatively unknown actors, Dead in France follows the story of hitman Charles (Brian Levine) in his quest to end his current, morbid lifestyle.  To do this, Charles must complete his 100th kill first, and then, he is free to walk away.  Or so he believes…

The trouble begins when Charles phones his rival, Clancy (Kate Loustau), to divulge his plans to retire.  Incensed, and interrupted during a contract, Clancy vows to hunt Charles down.  In the mean time, Charles’ nest-egg of £2million is stolen by a couple of conmen from the boot of his car.  The delays Charles faces in leaving his profession serve up as chapters in the overall film, which, despite its seemingly complex storyline, is in fact straightforward to follow.

Additional characters adding to the comic line-up are Lisa (Celia Muir, who won Best Supporting Actress at the 2012 Los Angeles Summer Cinema Film Festival for her role) and Denny (Darren Bransford, who won the Best Supporting Actor for his role, at the same Film Festival).  Lisa, the Essex cleaner, has a no-nonsense attitude that appeals to Charles.  Left in charge of Charles’ rented villa in Cote d’Azur whilst he completes his work in France, Lisa and her unpredictable, soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend Denny start their own con: subletting his villa for instant cash.

The film’s entirety is played out in black and white.  This adds the tiniest sense of class or art-house, although this is immediately snatched away by the poor use of CGI and the gore-shots.  Saying that, the balance overall is equalled out with the hilarious dialogue, the awkward conversations, and Charles’ stilted, socially-wanting character juxtaposed with Lisa’s eccentric disposition, complemented with a common dialect – a mismatched pair right from their first meeting.

Even if you don’t take Dead in France seriously, it is so easy to catch yourself comparing it to films of the same genre.  Quirky characters, an integration of comedy and crime, and a heap of chapters making up one compilation film – Dead in France definitely reeks of Ritchie and Tarantino.  It is however pleasant and surprisingly funny, and for that it is worth watching once.

Verdict: ●●

Jennifer Atkinson

Dead in France is released in the UK on the 20th August.

Watch the trailer here:

Related Items

More in Movie reviews

Cold Pursuit

★★★★★
Sylvia Unerman
Read More

Teddy Pendergrass: If You Don’t Know Me

★★★★★
Andrew Murray
Read More

Capernaum

★★★★★
Catherine Sedgwick
Read More

Old Boys

★★★★★
Mersa Auda
Read More

Happy Death Day 2U

★★★★★
Musanna Ahmed
Read More

Instant Family

★★★★★
Musanna Ahmed
Read More

A Private War

★★★★★
Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More

Jellyfish

★★★★★
Laura Jorden
Read More

The Kid Who Would Be King

★★★★★
Musanna Ahmed
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Tickets

Theatre tickets

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Marighella
    ★★★★★
    Berlinale
  • Babylon Beyond Borders at the Bush Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Rip It Up: The 60s at Garrick Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Johnstons of Elgin autumn/winter 2019 collection presentation for LFW
    Fashion weeks
  • Jeremy Loops and James Hersey at the Roundhouse
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Hanger autumn/winter 2019 collection presentation for LFW
    Fashion weeks
  • STEVE O SMITH autumn/winter 2019 collection presentation for LFW
    Fashion weeks
  • Pringle of Scotland autumn/winter 2019 collection catwalk show for LFW
    Fashion weeks
  • Paul Costelloe autumn/winter 2019 collection presentation for LFW
    Fashion weeks
  • Wesley Harriott autumn/winter 2019 collection presentation for LFW
    Fashion weeks
  • Cold Pursuit
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Teddy Pendergrass: If You Don’t Know Me
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Capernaum
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Jeremy Loops and James Hersey at the Roundhouse
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • An interview with Piranhas (La paranza dei bambini) director Claudio Giovannesi
    Berlinale

Instagram

Something is wrong.
Instagram token error.
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Fund us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2018 FL Media Ltd

ParaNorman, by the makers of Coraline | Movie review
The xx – Coexist | Album preview