THE LAST DIAMOND/ LE DERNIER DIAMANT

France/Belgium/Luxembourg, 2014, 108 minutes, Colour.
Yvan Attal, Berenice Bejo, Jean- François Stevenin.
Directed by Eric Barbier.


The heist genre has always been prominent in entertainment. Especially when it concerns diamonds.

This film shows the preparation for an elaborate heist, the detailed planning, the many people involved, the international connections. It then shows the attempt at an auction, the stealing of the diamond – and failure. The latter part of the film shows further investigation into the robbery and a sting to expose the criminals.

The settings are Paris, Antwerp, Luxembourg.

Yvan Attal has a showy role as a professional thief, his being in prison, emerging and planning the heist with quite a cohort of friends and employed criminals. His main aim is to ingratiate himself with the young woman responsible for the auction of the diamond, Berenice Bejo, posing as her security expert, having a relationship with her.

There are details of the preparation, the mayhem at the actual social function and the auction, the consequences. When the woman is interrogated drive the police, the thief is touched and does his best to expose the truth, including the criminality of her father and the death of her mother, international connections. At the end of the film, there is a sting to substitute the diamond as well as expose the masterminds.

Fans of the heist genre will enjoy this one and its variations on the theme.

1. The title? A heist film? The preparation, the action, the failure, the investigation, the final sting?

2. The French settings, Paris? The Belgian settings, Antwerp? Luxembourg? The musical score?

3. The focus on Simon, his career, successes and failures, his associates? His technique, naked in the corridor, entry into the room, theft? Prison? Coming out again, meeting
Albert, the complexities of the plan? Meeting his parole officer and pretending injury?

4. The diamond, its reputation, the plan for the auction? Julia, her work, her relationship with her father, with her mother, the death of her mother? Her carrying on with the auction? The preparations, the security? The encounter with Simon, his ingratiating himself, his smooth talk and style? The relationship? The auction, the social gathering, media interest?

5. Simon, Albert, the various connections, the range of people involved in the robbery? Inside contact at the hotel? Security impersonation, police impersonation? And connection with the diplomatic corps? The preparation for the auction, Simon and his suave manner, his having to return to Paris, the parole officer, his pretending to be injured? Ingratiating himself with Julia?

6. The auction, preparation, people collapsing? The mayhem? Simon arrested by the police and escorted out? The disappearance of the diamond?

7. The police, the discovery of the robbery, of the impersonations?

8. The diamond,, the complexity? Julia and her being interrogated?

9. Simon, concerned for Julia, working with Albert? His communication with Julia, her resentment, his implicating her father? The explanations, the diplomatic connections, the betrayals? His planning?

10. Albert, making the contacts, the set-ups? The Russian buyer, the Dutch expert?

11. The meeting in Luxembourg, the impersonations, the substitution of the diamond?

12. Violent consequences, shootouts? Simon, Julia rescued?

13. The solution, the media response?

14. Simon, time in prison, coming out, with Albert, the naked routine in the corridor – and Julia in the room?

15. A Gallic variation on the heist genre?