Christian Hecq Movies
It's hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys in this slick, densely plotted thriller from France. Cash (Jean Dujardin) is a suave and well-mannered outlaw who specializes in grand-scale heists that turn on carefully constructed confidence games as much as muscle. When Cash's brother and partner in crime Solal (Clovis Cornillac) is killed by members of a rival outfit who try to force their way into a carefully planned heist, Cash assembles a new crew to rob the gunmen for their ill-gotten gains. Cash joins forces with Maxime Dubreuil (Jean Reno), a gifted veteran thief who brings along his beautiful protégé Garance (Alice Taglioni). As Cash, Maxime and Garance map out plans for the robbery of a lifetime, they're joined by Julia (Valeria Golino), a beautiful woman with a full compliment of criminal skills. But what they don't know is that Julia is actually an undercover police officer who is looking to shut down Cash's operation from the inside. Cash was written and directed by Eric Besnard; it was his second feature as director after establishing himself as one of France's leading screenwriters. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Dujardin, Jean Reno, (more)
Six of the world's most talented graphic artists and animators come together to breathe vivid life into their greatest nightmares in this animated horror omnibus featuring the work of Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, and Richard McGuire. Inspired by the creeping shadows that lurk in the darkest depths of each artist's psyche, this monochromatic meditation on the things that make us wake up screaming aims to recreate the atmosphere and mood of an actual nightmare. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aure Atika, Arthur H., (more)
- 2007
Dead End and Big Nothing writer/director Jean-Baptiste Andrea scripts this comedic horror film about an AC/DC-loving high school skater boy who acquires a most unusual cell phone in a bid to impress the beautiful new transfer student from New York City. Sid is your typical high school rebel: He likes is music loud, he rides his skateboard fast, and he's got a big crush on gorgeous new student Angie. Happening across a mysterious and curiously devilish cell phone at a Chinese bizarre, Sid becomes convinced that Angie will ditch high school playboy Virgile and give him a shot when she catches a glimpse of the cool new gadget. But it wasn't Sid who chose the phone; it was the phone that chose Sid. Now, as the phone that can grant any wish becomes the center of Sid's rapidly shrinking universe, the devoted rebel becomes less interested in romance, and dangerously wrapped up in fantasy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Baptiste Maunier, Jennifer Decker, (more)
- 1996
- NR
Two men with seemingly nothing in common become unlikely friends in this drama from France. Harry (Daniel Auteuil) is a salesman working for a large but faceless corporation, where he's become a success at the expense of his personal life. His wife Julie (Miou-Miou), frustrated by his lack of concern for his family, has divorced him, and while he still has visitation rights to his children, he manages to forget when it's his weekend with his daughters, and he neglects to pick them up at the train station. Harry is depressed and nearly suicidal; while driving late one rainy night, he accidentally hits a dog who is walking with Georges (Pascal Duquenne), a personable young man with Down's Syndrome. Georges lives in a mental institution, where he's happy and well cared for, but when several of the other patients leave for a weekend visit, Georges decides that he should leave too, and he sets out to visit his mother. Harry can't bring himself to leave Georges behind, so after burying the dog, he offers to drive him to his mother's home, which becomes the start of a complicated odyssey for the two of them, especially after Harry finds out that Georges' mother is no longer alive. Actor Pascal Duquenne actually does have Down's Syndrome; he and co-star Daniel Auteuil shared the Best Actor award at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Auteuil, Pascal Duquenne, (more)
