Gérard Krawczyk Movies

Directed by Gérard Krawczyk, Fanfan la Tulipe is a remake of the classic 1952 swashbuckling satire by French director Christian-Jaque. Set in the 18th century, Vincent Perez plays the title role of the seductive swordsman Fanfan, who flees his home in order to avoid a forced marriage. A gypsy girl named Adeline (Penelope Cruz) tricks him into joining the army of King Louis XV (Didier Bourdon) by telling him that if he fights, he will get to marry one of the king's daughters. In addition to producing, Luc Besson co-wrote the adapted screenplay. Fanfan la Tulipe premiered at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, 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

This French remake of Claude Autant-Lara's black comedy classic details the adventures of a group of travelers who stop for a rest at Auberge du Croûteux, an inn in the Pyrenees. Little do these wayfarers realize that the establishment is run by a group of psychopaths with a penchant for systematically murdering and robbing guests; when a clergyman opts to hear the confession of the innkeeper's wife, and learns about the impending fate of the travelers, he makes a series of comical attempts to get everyone to leave without violating his confidentiality rule. Gérard Krawczyk directs; the cast features Josiane Balasko, Christian Clavier and Gerard Jugnot. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

The cast and crew from the 1998 Gallic megahit Taxi return for this high-octane sequel about a crime-bustin' cabby and a defrocked cop. The film opens with Daniel (Samy Naceri) rushing a pregnant woman to the hospital in his souped cab through the streets of Marseilles. Meanwhile, taciturn cop Emilien (Frederic Diefenthal) finally passes his driving test after flunking 27 times in a row. The action really gets rolling when blonde bombshell police woman Petra (Emma Sjoberg) gets kidnapped on the toilet by ninjas and added to their collection of hostages, including the Japanese minister of defense. The yakuza are out for trouble, and nothing stands between bedlam and civil order but two guys and one wicked-cool cab. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

French success d'estime Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita) follows up his children's fantasy Arthur and the Invisibles (2006) with this high-adrenaline, action-charged crime comedy that he produced and scripted but did not direct. At the heart of the tale is a nitwit Marseilles cop, Police Commissioner Gilbert (Bernard Farcy), prone to making outrageous blunders such as mistaking soccer star Djibril Cisse (in a cameo) for an illegal immigrant, and a hotel chambermaid for a terrorist. The other major member of the force is Emilien (Frederic Diefenthal), a hard-working soul, yet one perhaps too genial to be a cop. He's best friends with taxicab driver Daniel (Samy Naceri), an individual low-key to the point of anemia; their young sons enjoy playing together. As the tale opens, a manically insane, hyperactive Belgian criminal, "La Belge," (Jean-Luc Couchard) undergoes extradition to trial in Africa; en route, he temporarily lands in the Marseilles police department for a few hours and bamboozles Emilien into believing that he's actually a Belgian embassy employee railroaded by the real crook, who is now at large. Emilien foolishly buys the story and sets La Belge free -- prompting an outrageous and explosive series of complications. Meanwhile, Emilien's achingly beautiful wife (sex symbol Emma Sjoberg-Wyklund) has been assigned to infiltrate La Belge's gang on an undercover level -- so far undercover that Emilien himself isn't even aware of her role. Upon release, Taxi 4 shot to the top of the French box office charts to qualify as a local blockbuster, topping numerous American releases in the process. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

A cop from the city of lights finds adventure and romance in the Land of the Rising sun in this thriller. Hubert (Jean Reno) is a detective with the French police force who's the kind of cop who doesn't let little details get in the way of catching crooks -- and isn't afraid to speak with his fists if talking doesn't do the job. When Hubert gets in a dust-up with an innocent bystander while trying to apprehend a group of bank robbers, he learns the passerby was the son of the Chief of Police -- and Hubert is put on suspension for two months. Just as Hubert wonders what to do for the next 60 days, he learns that an old flame has died; 19 years ago, he was sent to Tokyo on assignment, and fell in love with a woman named Miko. Even though Hubert hadn't seen Miko in years, he was the sole beneficiary named in her will, and Hubert goes to Tokyo to sort out her effects. Once in Japan, Hubert meets Miko's daughter Yumi (Ryoko Hirosue), who doesn't think much of Hubert and appears to be unaware that he is her biological father. As Hubert tries to bond with Yumi, he examines the facts behind Miko's death and begins to suspect her death was no accident, and with the help of his buddy Momo (Michel Muller), he tries to find out the truth about her death. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi