Eric Cantona Movies

Adapted from the same José Giovanni story that spawned Jean-Pierre Melville's classic 1966 film of the same name, director/screenwriter Alain Corneau's nail-biting thriller stars Daniel Auteuil as iconic French gangster Gustav "Gu" Minda and Monica Bellucci as the smoldering Manouche -- whose love for the notorious criminal knows no bounds. As the 1950s draw to a close, vicious convict Gu stages a daring escape from the prison where he had been serving a life sentence. Though Gu longs to flee from the country with his longtime lover Manouche, he must first complete one last job that will secure him the finances to do so; but with every policeman in the country currently searching for Gu, it isn't going to be easy. Gu has the fortitude and know-how of the most experienced criminal, and despite the fact that his staged hold-up goes down like clockwork, the police looking to capture him prove craftier than he ever anticipated. Inspector Blot (Michel Blanc) knows that Gu isn't likely to make any mistakes while procuring his funds for flight, so instead of trying to catch him in the act, he hatches an ingenious scheme to create dissent within the criminal ranks of his target. Blot's plan is to make Gu's gang think that their leader is now a police informer, and everyone buys the ruse except for Manouche. The steely-nerved Manouche knows Gu well enough to realize that he would never agree to work with the cops. Later, as things start to fall apart, Manouche prepares to pay the ultimate price to defend her beloved Gu and clear his name once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Two women try to pass along what they've learned about life, love and work to a handful of kids with unexpected results in this French comedy. For years, Blanche (Josiane Balasko) and her husband ran a diner in a small village in France, with their daughter Louise (Sylvie Testud) coming aboard to help once she was grown. After Blanche's husband passes on, she and Louise decide to keep the place open, though a rival eatery owned by Lucie Chevrier (Catherine Hiegel) sees an opportunity to finally get the edge on their competition. Good-hearted Blanche and Louise hear that a group of foster children in need of parents have been left with nowhere to stay, and they agree to take in the kids. Blanche and her daughter go out of their way to the youngsters about the importance of a solid work ethic; however, this lesson is put to the test when local truck drivers go on strike, and their leader, Pierre (Eric Cantona) tries to convince everyone (including the children) not to work for a while. Writer and director Gerard Krawczyk adapted La Vie Est A Nous (aka It's Our Life) from the novel L'eau des Fleurs by Jean-Marie Gourio. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A lighthearted and nostalgic drama about life among a group of close-knit friends, Les Enfants du Marais/Children of the Marshland tells the tale of a girl named Cri-Cri, who in flashback recalls growing up in a community along a quiet marsh in France. Her father, Riton (Jacques Villeret), has a good heart but a weakness for wine, and has never entirely gotten over being left by his wife (and Cri-Cri's mother), even though he's since remarried. His best friend is Garris (Jacques Gamblin), a laborer who lives in a cabin left to him by an old friend (Jacques Dufilho) and finds himself infatuated with Marie (Isabelle Carre), who works as a domestic in a nearby town. Both men are still dealing with their experiences from World War I, as is their friend Mr. Richard (Michel Serrault), who turned a junk business into a successful metal foundry but still visits his old pals at the marsh, because he feels they're the only ones who understand him. Despite lukewarm reviews, Les Enfants Du Marais/Children of the Marshland proved to be a significant box office success on its initial release in France. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This British-made historical drama depicts the rise of young Elizabeth Tudor to Queen of England, a reign of intrigue and betrayals. In 1554, Queen Mary I (Kathy Burke) tries to restore Catholicism as England's single faith. With no heir to the crown, she maneuvers to keep her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett) from succeeding her, but her efforts fail. With Mary dead, Elizabeth is proclaimed Queen of England in November 1558. Elizabeth relishes the return from exile of her childhood sweetheart, Lord Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes). Chief adviser Sir William Cecil (Richard Attenborough) urges the young Queen to forget personal matters and instead address the country's pressing problems. England is bankrupt, has no army, and is under serious threat from abroad. Elizabeth even has enemies within her own court, the most dangerous being the Duke of Norfolk (Christopher Eccleston). Hoping for an heir, Cecil suggests marriage candidates -- King Philip II of Spain or the French Duc d'Anjou (Vincent Cassel) -- to secure the realm. Elizabeth agrees to meet their ambassadors, but her true feelings are revealed when she meets Dudley for a secret tryst. French "warrior queen" Mary of Guise (Fanny Ardent) amasses troops at the Scottish border. Elizabeth bows to the pro-War lobby led by Norfolk, despite protests from her Master of Spies, the enigmatic Sir Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush), but the decision to fight leads to a humiliating defeat. As dark clouds of court conspiracies gather, and the possibility of assassination looms, Elizabeth strikes out at her enemies and puts her trust in Walsingham. Shown at 1998 film fests (Venice, Toronto), this is the first English-language film of Indian director Shekhar Kapur, who shot on locations at Northumberland, Derbyshire, North Yorkshire, and at Shepperton Studios. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi