BAC NORD/THE STRONGHOLD

France, 2020, 93 minutes, Colour.

Gilles Lellouche, François Civil, Karim Leklou, Adele Exarchopoloous, Kenza Fortas.

Directed by Cedric Jimenez.

There has been a strong tradition of French police films, Policiers, from the 1930s but, especially during the 1970s (often with a land along) and this has continued on television and on the cinema screen. Many of them were located in Marseilles.

This is a Marseilles story, especially the northern district of the city, an area with a strong reputation for crime, for drug dealing. A particular area is nominated as The Ghetto, tough guards, multi-racial, checking who was coming in and going out.

This film is based on a true story, on the demands by police authorities for offices to measure up to a quota of drug busts and arrests, taking in drugs. However, a number of the police used some of the drugs taken as a way of payment to informants. In 2012, a number were arrested and charged with criminal offences, shaking up administration with political repercussions. In this film, the focus is on three of these offices.

There are three strong and very different performances, especially from veteran Gilles Lellouche, 20 years on the force, extraordinarily tough, a loner in his own life, but, surprisingly, prone to mental collapse after his arrest. François Civil is the young policeman, rather happy-go-lucky in his attitude towards his work, to his friends. And it is he who has the young addict is his informant and pays her off in drugs. Karim Leklou is the married officer, his police officer wife expecting a child.

The three are seen in action, confronting the toughs in the Ghetto, deciding not to give themselves away in going to the rescue of a parallel squad. However, under the supervision of their deskbound commander, a huge operation is planned and carried out in the Ghetto. This action is expertly choreographed and edited, tracking suspects, changing trackers, finding the main stash, the confrontation, shootouts.

This might have been enough for such a film but in the second part, the tone changes considerably as the three men are arrested (although there has been an indication of this at the very opening of the film, treated very harshly, severely interrogated, secluded, limited phone calls… The pressure is on the young policeman to give up the name of his informant. Given the pressures on his other two, he does give up the name and the men are released.

So, two films in one, a police action thriller and a psychological drama of the internment of the officers.

1. The tradition of French tough police films? Marseilles settings? Based on a true story? Fictionalised? From 2012? And subsequent scandal?
2. The city of Marseilles, the North district, streets, buildings, the ghetto area, apartments, drug dealing? Police precincts? The musical score?
3. Law enforcement? The reputation of Marseilles Nord? Targeting one drugs and the dealers? Targets for the week for achievement? Reputations? The need for informants? The decision to give drugs as payment for information? Legal/illegal situation?
4. The focus on the three policeman, their friendship? Working together? The challenge for quotas? The relationship with their supervisor, his sitting behind the desk? And not backing them up?
5. The details of their activity, undercover, infiltrating, observing? Greg as their leader, age, experience, 20 years, tough exterior, the loner? Confrontations, fights? Vass, the married man, also tough, dealings, confrontations? His wife, pregnancy, giving birth? His delight in his child? Antoine, loner, the contact with his informant, her age and experience, information, paying her? The attraction? It letting her go? His own use of drugs?
6. Ventures into the ghetto, the confront stations and stances, the types on the ghetto, the racial mix, big and tough, the deals, the stashes, the money? The other team? Calling for help, Greg deciding not to go, the later confrontation and an explanation?
7. The three, having to back down, staying within the law? But getting the information from the informant? The big deal?
8. The screenplay and its attention to the detail of the action? Hand-held camera? Documentary-like? The details of the strategy, the three and their tasks, the backup? The members of the ghetto, suspicions, stances? Lookouts, following suspects, capias going into the building, the dangers, going up the steps, identifying the room, hiding with the woman and her son, the son stabbing Yes? The others coming, the fight, the shooting, getting into the stash room, fights, escapes, the drugs, the money? Getting to the car, yes and his wound, the crowds surrounding the car, crashing through the barrier?
9. The acclaim for the achievement? The other squads? Deliberations?
10. The opening of the film with Greg interrogated, fingerprints, imprisonment? Audiences waiting over an hour to find the reasons? The shock of the three men being arrested, their homes searched, presuppositions against them?
11. Yvon the interrogator, with each, relentless? Greg and the superior interview together, the Superior denying all knowledge?
12. Each of the men in prison, Greg, angry, violent, medication, appealing to the guards, mental collapse? Injuring his hands? The sadness for yes, isolated, waiting a month for the phone call, the visit from his wife, her police background, her support? Antoine, adapting, arranging things very neatly uncomfortably in his cell? Exercise in keeping fit? More cheerful disposition? The reaction to the guards?
13. Vass, asking for a haircut, required to be done by prisoner, and one coming in, prisoners not talking to one another, yes talking to the guard and explaining Greg’s breakdown?
14. Antoine, fidelity to the informant, refusal to give the information, the situation for Greg and yes, his moral dilemma, giving up the informant, seeing her in the waiting room?
15. The men going free, each one resume his life? The final information about the consequences of the case? And each one taking up a new job?