Vincent Lindon Movies

In this confusing, surreal, and slow-paced drama that swings back and forth from strange to farcical, Robert (Alain Delon) meets Donatienne (Nathalie Baye) on a train. She tells him a story about a woman and a man who meet on a train and subsequently spend a night - only one night - in a glorious sexual encounter before they part forever. He is so taken with her that he ends up in her mountain chalet, not just for one night, but for many - drinking beer and forgetting about his wife in Paris. Donatienne then has sexual relations with all the men in her neighborhood - and the film steps fully into a bizarre world in which neither Robert nor Donatienne can honestly relate to each other. The mystery about what is going on is revealed in the end, but by then the film - verbose, inscrutable, and artificial - may have alienated more than one viewer. On the other hand, the performances of Delon and Baye stand out against this flawed backdrop, an achievement recognized at the 1984 Cesars when Delon won the Best Actor award for his role as Robert. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Jean-Jacques Beineix's Betty Blue stars Béatrice Dalle as the title character, a mentally unbalanced and sexually aggressive free spirit who becomes involved with Zorg (Jean-Hugues Anglade), a repairman moonlighting as a writer. The two engage in a variety of sexual encounters, and grow more passionate toward each other. Betty finds Zorg's book and is aggressively supportive; over time, her mental and emotional instability begin to catch up with her and drive her to the point of romantic obsession with Zorg -- leading to a grisly and shocking conclusion. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Charles Aznavour and Ugo Tognazzi appear in this comedy about two Jewish merchants in need of cash. They team up with a Seminarian (Andre Dussolier) whose talents lie in opening safes and praying to God for assistance, and they plan one great robbery that will get everyone out of debt. Some viewers might take exception at a few digs against organized religion. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This thriller concerns Freddy (Michel Boujenah), the unsophisticated manager of a porno theater who has fallen in love with the young striptease artist who supplies entertainment between hardcore films. But unknown to Freddy, she is also involved in a drug ring. One day Freddy is shot during a hold-up and is hospitalized. An inept and amusing police inspector checks out the crime scene, though he's no protection when drug dealers show up to ask Freddy what happened with their last shipment. It seems a valuable drugs shipment has come up missing; although Freddy has no clue at first, he starts to figure out who might have the dope, and gets in way over his head. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

A married American actor (Peter Coyote) falls in love with his on-screen flame (Greta Scacchi) while filming an Italian biography of author Cesare Pavese. France's 1987 entry to the Cannes Film Festival, this was the first English-language film for director Diane Kurys. ~ John Bush, Rovi

Twenty-one-year-old Valentine (Sophie Marceau) works part time as a teacher while she prepares for her all-important final exams. She meets Edouard (Vincent Lindon), a rock musician who hopes to someday be a composer. Despite the fact that the two have different schedules and career agendas, they engage in a passionate affair. Valentine compares her relationship with Edouard to the dry dissertation of Moliere's The Misanthrope during her oral exams at the Sorbonne. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Very few people know that Pierre Marroux (Yves Montand) is the father of the famous terrorist Netchaiev (Vincent Lindon), and that's the way he likes to keep it. His boy is now presumed to be dead, and he has a job to do, protecting the safety of those who pay him. However, the boy has recently returned to Paris with a group on an operation. Netchaiev is tired of being a hunted man and is shopping his potential confession around for the best deal. This puts him at odds with his colleagues past and present, and his life is in great danger. When Pierre learns of the situation, he tries to use his skills to find his son before his killers do. Along the way, he learns that the French government has a very shady deal with the terrorists, and it wants Netchaiev dead, too. This thriller is based on a novel by Jacques Semprun. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In this comedy, Victor thought he really had it bad when he lost his wife and his job on the same day. However, when he tries to get some sympathy from his friends, he discovers just how bad things can get, because although everything seems to be just fine with their lives, they are incredibly angry. It seems that, just beneath the surface, everyone's cozy situation is about to fall apart, and they know it. Children are acting up, wives or husbands are just about to leave, and there is nothing much to smile about. Desperate for some comfort, he goes to a bar and has a few drinks. There, he meets the one person he's encountered so far who doesn't seem to be mad at the world: a seemingly simpleminded man with no home, no job, and no prospects of getting either. He allows his new human mascot to accompany him while he goes to visit his parents and is distressed to find that his mother is leaving his father for a much-younger man. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The sexploits of a nerd are chronicled in this French film. Francois is a thirty-five year old playwright working on his autobiographical play "The Indecisive Guy". He is not a terribly interesting man, but he does manage to have a series of great sexual liaisons with a variety of experienced and inexperienced women. Each of the women he seduces (or that seduce him) want a commitment from Francois. But the title of his play is apt and he remains indecisive. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Usury is a serious problem in mid-'90s Italy, a country torn by the realities of a long-term economic recession and the people's desires for material prosperity. Unforutnately, with the closure of many Italian banks and the lack of available credit, these things are hard to come by legally, so many, especially businessmen, turn to loan sharks. According to surveys, over %65 of the nation's businesses have involvement with violent loan sharks who like their seafaring cousins will patiently circle the rickety financial lifeboats of their prey until the right moment and then rush in for the kill. This allegorical crime drama from Italian filmmaker Ricky Tognazzi chronicles the complex psychological relationship between one such loan shark and his prey, an old friend from college. Francesco (the intended victim) runs a failing construction company owned by his dying father-in-law who went deeply in debt trying to keep the firm afloat. Outwardly, Sergio is an upstanding financial advisor who knew Francesco a decade before when they were both wild college boys. Sergio learns of Francesco's plight via a helpful banker and as soon as the father-in-law dies sends Claudio (his thug) to visit the bereaved family. Saying he represents the wealthy Signora Sauro (Sergio's secret lover and accomplice) Claudio offers to make a substantial loan to Francisco who accepts. Soon Sergio is back in Francesco's life. He has set his sights on his old friend's beautiful wife Miriam and becomes obsessed with bedding her. At the same time Claudio, whom Francesco doesn't realize is in cahoots with Sergio, begins threatening him for the money. Fortunately Sergio is there to 'save' Francesco from what he doesn't realize is the inevitable destruction of his business. At least that was Sergio's plan. Unfortunately, as ruthless and shrewd as he is, he does not count on the inconsistency of his accomplices. He also underestimates his victims and that proves for him, a terrible mistake. The film is also known as Un Homme Honnete. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

As part of an intergalactic coalition, a well-meaning space alien volunteers to bring a message of self-actualization and harmony with nature to the one planet rejected by all her peers as incorrigible--Earth. This family-oriented French sci-fi comedy chronicles her adventures on the chaotic planet. Mila is 150 years old and has five children; encoded in her brain are two telepathic programs designed to restructure the thinking of destructive humans. The first is a fairly mild program designed to inspire the humans to rethink their world and begin asking some difficult questions. The other is far stronger and rapidly indoctrinates subjects with lofty utopian ideals and makes them deeply aware of themselves. Mila lands in Paris and is unnoticed but for the sudden, inexplicable power surges and outages that occur whenever she sends a telepathic message to her alien cohorts. Instead of eating, Mila draws energy from holding newborn babies. It is while holding an orphan infant in an obstetrics ward that her Earthly troubles begin. Feeling deeply for the baby's plight, she confronts the ward's head doctor and when logic fails, looses her programs upon him. Instantly the unsympathetic brute sees the light and begins helping her save the babe from wicked welfare workers. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi