Jacques Dutronc 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

Following up on his acclaimed 1999 work Mauvaises frequentations, Jean-Pierre Ameris spins this sensitive, understated drama about mortality. Dimitri (Jacques Dutronc is a Russian-émigré who in spite of his hale appearance, is suffering from a terminal disease. He checks into a French style hospice where he learns to his great shock that the average life expectancy is just short of a month. Far from accepting his condition, he fights the hospice's rules and its staff, until, fed up, he escapes into the countryside. Along the road, he encounters Suzanne (Sandrine Bonnaire), an optimistic, unflappable woman who volunteers at the hospice and soon the sparks even though the romance is inevitably, tragically doomed. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Nicole Garcia directed this French suspense thriller set in the posh Paris square of Place Vendôme, where the jewelers district includes the firm run by Vincent Malivert (Bernard Fresson) with his brother, Eric (François Berléand). Although Vincent has a top reputation in the field, his British colleagues suspect he fences stolen diamonds. Vincent's alcoholic wife Marianne (Catherine Deneuve), who goes to a classy clinic to dry out, doesn't like the thought of signing papers to transfer the firm's name to other hands, a move that will save the firm from bankruptcy. Thanks to Vincent, she knows of some hidden diamonds, but others would also like to locate the hidden pouch, including the mysterious employers of Kleiser (Philippe Clevenot). The odyssey sends Marianne into boardrooms, past the workbenches of gem-cutters, and on through the hotels, cafes, and diamond markets of Paris and Antwerp. Shown in competition at the 1998 Venice Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

This French family-oriented adventure is set in the Cameroons and Zimbabwe and follows the exploits of a 12-year-old French boy who, following the death of his mother, is sent to Africa to live with his father, the overseer of a large game preserve. The boy, Martin, has not seen his father since he was two. Martin's arrival doesn't make much impact upon his father, Garoubier, who is too busy with his work to pay attention or show affection to the grieving lad. He is sent to school where he is the only white, but soon makes friends with a native boy, Fofana, whose stepfather leads his village and is called the elephant master. One day, Fofana suddenly disappears and during the search, Martin and his dad finally begin to get a little closer. Later Fofana and Martin team up and set out on their own to locate a missing herd of elephants. Trouble follows and adventure ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Running nearly three hours, Maurice Pialat's Van Gogh is a leisurely paced look at the famous painter's final year. Pialat's portrait differs from many other films in that he shows Van Gogh (Jacques Dutronc) as being reasonably sane and he focuses on the everyday events of the painter's life and art. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Lucas, a computer genius facing an unnamed terminal illness that causes him to lose his memory, meets Blanche, a young woman who seems unable to break free of her vicious environment. The two plunge into a brief but intense affair, understanding that their days together are numbered. This a strangely poetic and powerful film that celebrates love's victory over death and suggests that sentiment has some currency even in a pragmatic world. ~ Yuri German, Rovi

This self-conscious film with acting that is not quite up to par, is about an insurance investigator who meets an attractive woman in a hotel on his way to check out the causes of a fire that destroyed a movie set. The woman is still on his mind when he reaches the set, where contacts with the irritating, emotionally impaired movie crew leave him in a confused state himself -- all the more confused when he learns that his mystery woman had been working on this set as an actress when she suddenly left. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this sci-fi film a suicidal salesman is saved when he encounters a scientist who is working on a revolutionary new antidepressant. The man becomes so peaceful of all around him, that he begins driving everyone around him crazy. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A lightweight, sentimental story, a middle-aged French couple remember their courtship and the beginnings of their romance. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi

Sauve Qui Peut (la Vie), a pessimistic but visually stunning film, marks Jean-Luc Godard's return to cinema after having spent the 70s working in video. The film presents a few days in the lives of three people: Paul Godard (Jacques Dutronc ), a television producer; Denise Rimbaud (Nathalie Baye), his co-worker and ex-girlfriend; and Isabelle Riviera (Isabelle Huppert), a prostitute whom Paul has used. Denise wants to break up with Paul and move to the country. Isabelle wants to work for herself instead of her pimp. Paul just wants to survive. Their stories intersect when Paul brings Denise to the country cottage he is trying to rent and Isabelle comes to see it without knowing that the landlord has been her client. The film is broken into segments entitled "The Imaginary," "Commerce," "Life," and "Music." Each of the first three sections focuses on one character and the last section brings all three characters together. This complex film is often closer to an essay than a story; it uses slow motion and experimental techniques to explore questions of love, work, and the nature of cinema. Sauve Qui Peut (la Vie) was Godard's first film with his frequent collaborator Anne-Marie Miéville, who edited and co-wrote the film. ~ Louis Schwartz, Rovi

Françoise has gone into business seducing men whose wives want to divorce them, and who need incriminating evidence against them. In addition, she has a little blackmail operation going on on the side with politicians who can't afford a scandal. She got started on this business after she was raped, and hasn't looked back since. Now the police are on her trail, and she avails herself of the services of a couple who make a profession of hiding wanted criminals. At the hideout, she meets Simon, a second-generation mobster. As the police close in, Françoise and Simon go on the run together, pulling off occasional heists for operating money. Before long, they have also fallen in love. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi