CRIME SPREE
France/US, 2003, 99 minutes, Colour.
Gerard Depardieu, Johnny Hallyday, Renaud, Harvey Keitel, Richard Bohringer, Saeed Taghmaoui, Stefan Freiss, Abe Vigoda, Joanne Kelly.
Directed by Brad Mirman.
Crime Spree is a tongue-in-cheek crime film with a very strong French cast of would-be criminals who seem to botch every job. They are led by Gerard Depardieu, singers Johnny Hallyday and Renaud (who argued at one stage about what music to listen to) are also in the gang. The French boss is veteran actor Richard Bohringer who invites Saeed Taghmaoui to accompany the group of thieves to Chicago for a job. In the meantime, in Chicago, Abe Vigoda is the Mob boss with Harvey Keitel wanting to take over from him.
The film has a great deal of light comedy, the initial robbery where the painting to be taken goes up in flames. In Chicago, it is not much better and many things go wrong. However, the gang finally gets the better of Harvey Keitel, who has been set up for robbery by the FBI because he has tapes of his plans to take over the leadership of the Mob.
The film was written and directed by Brad Merman, who has written a number of thrillers including Body of Evidence, Truth or Consequences NM, The Shadow Dancer.
1.A heist comic story? Ironic?
2.An American and French collaboration? The strong cast? The backgrounds of Paris and Chicago? The different languages used in the film?
3.Paris, the robberies, the gangster world, the clubs?
4.Chicago, the suburbs, homes, mansions, restaurants, the Mafia?
5.The opening, the attempted robbery, the painting, the cigarette lighter, the curtains, the destruction of the painting, their being caught by the owner, the gunshots?
6.Laurent as the boss? His relationship with Daniel? Getting Zero in with the team, Julien and Raymond? The recruiting of Sammy as translator? Laurent’s character, the boss, his interactions with the group, the weapons? The contacts from America?
7.Sophie, the gang’s arrival, settling in, the details of the job, the comic touches as they interacted with each other?
8.Frankie, the Mafia boss, his awkward henchmen, criticisms of them? His visit to Giancarlo? Giancarlo watching the TV court programs and enjoying them? Frankie and his brother, the debt, breaking his arms, going to visit him in hospital? Frankie’s plans, the phone calls to the different bosses, the tapes?
9.The robbery, tying up Frankie, taking the tapes, the escape, the FBI watching them? No intervention? Thinking they had the wrong address? Actually the right address and the right robbery? The fact that they should have been arrested?
10.Sammy, speaking English, Sophie and her relationship, her taking the tapes?
11.Phoning Laurent, the plan, Laurent’s brother in prison, the plan to get the tapes, the FBI getting his brother out of jail, the failure of the heist? Laurent going to Chicago, the deals, the Van Gogh painting? Giancarlo sending his chauffeur, taking Laurent away?
12.The stolen car, the owner and his henchmen, the exasperation, following the car, its being sighted, the henchmen giving it as a gift to Frankie’s brother, the owner confronting Frankie, the shootout?
13.The streets, the garage, Daniel and his buying the guns? The African Americans helping with the set-ups? The leader who wanted to steal the tapes, confronting the group with a gun, Zero shooting him more quickly?
14.The shootings, the mix-ups, Julien’s death?
15.Raymond, his appearance, psychological talk, slow, the driver, he and Julien hiring the car, the information going to Frankie, the confrontations and shootout, the final shooting and Raymond’s vengeance?
16.Daniel as the leader, coping with the mistakes? Zero as a good shot, talking about himself in the third person? The dispute about the music? Marcel and the stealing of the ball, the mistakes, the ball going into the water?
17.Daniel and his visit to Giancarlo, the deal about the tapes, the escape to Canada, the set-ups?
18.Frankie, his henchmen, the comic touches, his death?
19.On the boat, going to Canada, the Van Gogh painting, the dispute, its falling into the water – and the freeze-frame as they all leapt in to retrieve it?
