Very nice historical thriller/adventure, based on the hit TV series of the same name. In 1912, an elite unit of the Sureté becomes involved in a complex case including anarchist attacks, an international financial scandal involving France and Russia, political corruption and a mysterious, beautiful woman married to a Russian prince but with an agenda of her own. The production is handsomely mounted, action scenes are fairly sparse (like in The Untouchables) but very well done, real set-pieces. There's a huge shootout, hand-to-hand combat, fencing... the lot. Acting is very good across the line, but I would like to single out Diane Kruger for her performance as Constance. Multi-layered, very well written, the character is at the heart of the plot and shows a richness and subtlety rare in genre fiction. Hindsight provides an extra layer of appreciation: the events in the film occur before WW I and the Russian Revolution, but will influence both these cataclysmic upheavals. As we know more than the characters do about how things will turn out, the narrative gains extra poignancy. Definitely one of the best French mainstream entertainment films of recent years. A success on every level. Roll on Brigades 2...

I have seen a lot of American special force type film. The french apparently don't agree with their style. Those French guy are not good at shooting, not good at fighting, with no special equipment, no special skills... However, French inspectors are more human liking. They talk and walk like real man. They go around without knowing exactly what they are looking for. But they are more lovely than the US counterparts. They have pride and confidence on themselves and they show it proudly. They even insulted normal police force by their attitude. I had never seen the TV serials on which this film based. The inspectors are cool, the criminals are malicious and strong. The music is great, I just can not forget the rhythm for some time.

Transposing a TV series to and/or for the big screen is not unlike expanding a short story into a novel i.e. why bother; the obvious answer in the case of the former is money; couch potatoes who enjoyed the series may venture to the local Multiplex and the strictly cinema audience probably missed the TV series. What we have here is slick entertainment set in that long Edwardian summer that culminated in the First World War and the Russian Revolution, both of which are offscreen characters here. The period doesn't figure that often in mega-buck movies although the last Arsene Lupin movie and A Very Long Engagement infringed upon it. As entertainment it hits all its targets and non-French audiences are unlikely to be distracted by familiar names - Deneuve, Depardieu, Binoche, Huppert etc - though the French film buff will be reassured by the presence of the reliable Jacques Gamblin, Gerard Jugnot and somewhat more erratic Clovis Cornillac. Guillaume Canet's ex-wife Diane Kruger has a central role but luckily she's not prevailed upon to act anything more demanding than gorgeous and/or sympathetic which she does as well as any equally gorgeous non-actress (she does it again in her latest, Pour Elle, in the salles now and it's all pretty harmless. If you like to be entertained and think you're learning a little about social history at the same time this is probably for you.