The Army of Crime

The Nazi occupation of France is something that is still very contentious in France and has spawned numerous films and TV shows with most people's impressions sadly influenced by the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!
 
Loosely based on true events, the French film L'armée du crime (The Army of Crime, 2009), follows a group of resistance fighters headed by Missak Manouchian, an Armenian poet.  Surrounded by Communist immigrants from all over Europe, mostly Jews, his organisation received funding from both London and Moscow but the instructions came from within France.  A charismatic leader, he attracts the disaffected and rebellious who want to do their part to end the Nazi presence.
 
In 1944 the group was arrested and executed by the Nazis and the French authorities who labelled them the Army of Crime and printed posters as part of the Affiche Rouge campaign to discredit Manouchian's FTP-MOI group.  This film tells their story.
 

From harassing collaborators to audacious daylight attacks on Wermacht troops, this ragtag bunch become increasingly notorious and a thorn in the side of the Nazis and Vichy Regime who resort to increasingly barbaric methods to break the captured men and bring the organisation down.
 
Associated with the fighters due to her romantic links to Missak is Mélinée who must stay away for her own safety but is drawn closer because of her growing feelings for Missak and the other men and boys.
 
The film is bookended by the so-called 'Army of Crime' being driven to their deaths and is a flashback to how they met and why such drastic measures were taken against them.  Robert Guédiguian introduces the characters well and you really get a feel for who they are and their motives before being plunged into the wholesale terrorism.  Guédiguian doesn't hold back on the violence with explosions, assassinations and torture, with one scene involving a bare stomach and a blowtorch that will have people cringing. 
 
It is an extremely ambitious project but one that isn't tight enough to succeed as a thriller because the tension isn't high and prolonged enough as the film moves from terrorism to romance, family drama to brutality.  Each character is very well developed and is interesting with their own back story and links to other members and there is a fine arc with Inspector Pujol who carefully breaks down the gang by beginning a relationship with a young woman who is connected to a suspected member. 
 
This has a thoroughly involving story and characters and some extremely well orchestrated scenes but the failure to maintain a high level of tension sees it fall short of greatness.  The acting is superb with Simon Abkarian suitably enigmatic as Missak and Virginie Ledoyen beautiful and vulnerable as his wife, Mélinée.
 

The Disc

 
Extra Features
The DVD is lacking in extras in comparison to the BD release.  The interview with Robert Guédiguian is a healthy 15 minute piece and is packed with information about the shoot, casting and his own recollections of the poster campaign.  The only other extra of note (there is also the theatrical trailer) is a 4 minute piece on the première at Cannes which is far from in depth and is basically filler, devoid of substance. 
 
The Picture
The art department did a fantastic job recreating the Paris in the 1940s with the costumes, sets and props all helping to put you in 1943.  The image quality is very good for an upscaled DVD and the colours and contrast are excellent with good detail and skin tones.
 
The SFX makeup and prosthetics are sometimes uncomfortably realistic for the torture scenes with the burnt stomach very convincing.
 
The Sound
The default track is Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo French so make sure you go to the set-up and change it to the DD 5.1 French track if you have the capability.  This is much more immersive with the surrounds and sub used to good effect for the explosions and gunfights and presenting the dialogue and score very well.  The sound design is first class and you know that a great deal of attention has been paid to the AV quality.
 
Final Thoughts
The Army of Crime is an involving and extremely well written and plotted drama though the level of tension isn't quite as high as it should be. The acting is superb and is't no surprise that most of the actors have previously worked with Robert Guédiguian and know what he wants and how to work with him.  Simon Abkarian is particularly impressive as the charismatic Missak but the film is perhaps 20 minutes too long and the paucity of extra material on the DVD is a shame.