''36 Quai des Orfèvres'' (also known as ''The 36'') is a 2004 French film directed by
Olivier Marchal
Olivier Marchal (born 14 November 1958) is a French actor, director, screenwriter, and a former policeman. In 2005, he was nominated for three César Awards (best director, best film and best writing) for his film ''36 Quai des Orfèvres''. He al ...
and starring
Daniel Auteuil
Daniel Auteuil (; born 24 January 1950) is a French actor and director who has appeared in a wide range of film genres, including period dramas, romantic comedies, and crime thrillers. In 1996 he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Fest ...
and
Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...
. The title derives from the original address of the
Judicial Police headquarters, part of the larger
Palais de Justice of Paris on the Île de la Cité. The film takes place in Paris, where two cops (Auteuil and Depardieu) are competing for the vacant seat of chief of the
Paris Criminal police while involved in a search for a gang of violent thieves. The film is directed by Olivier Marchal, a former police officer who spent 12 years in the French police. The story is loosely inspired from real events which occurred during the 1980s in France (see the
gang des postiches arrest). The film was nominated for eight
César Award Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol
* ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt
* César Award, a French film award
Places
* Cesar, Portugal
* C ...
s. The movie was remade in South Korea in 2019 as ''
The Beast''.
Plot
Two
Prefecture of Police In France, a Prefecture of Police (french: Préfecture de police), headed by the Prefect of Police (''Préfet de police''), is an agency of the Government of France under the administration of the Ministry of the Interior. Part of the National Pol ...
officers: Léo Vrinks (
Daniel Auteuil
Daniel Auteuil (; born 24 January 1950) is a French actor and director who has appeared in a wide range of film genres, including period dramas, romantic comedies, and crime thrillers. In 1996 he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Fest ...
), head of the
BRI and Denis Klein (
Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...
), head of the
BRB
BRB may refer to:
* Bank of the Republic of Burundi or ''Banque de la République du Burundi'', the official name in French of the central bank of Burundi
* Barbados, ISO country code BRB, country in the Caribbean Sea
* Barreirinhas Airport, IAT ...
, both in Paris, wish to succeed their superior, the chief of the
criminal police (
André Dussolier
André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation ...
), who is being promoted. Success depends on catching a murderous and highly active gang of armoured-car robbers. Another source of rivalry is that Camille (
Valeria Golino
Valeria Golino (born 22 October 1965) is an Italian actress and film director. She is best known to English-language audiences for her roles in '' Rain Man'', ''Big Top Pee-wee'' and the two '' Hot Shots!'' films, particularly the olive-in-the-be ...
), Vrinks' wife, used to be Klein's lover.
Vrinks is an effective detective with loyal subordinates, and some unsavory informants. Klein, who has questionable ethics, is less accomplished. Consequently, his marriage is strained and he drinks heavily. Vrinks helps people such as a bartender, who is raped and beaten by Bruno (
Ivan Franek
Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...
) while being robbed. Vrinks and his team kidnap Bruno, drive him to a forest, strip and bind him, give him a mock execution, push him into an open grave, warn him to leave her alone and abandon him.
Vrinks' use of informants backfires when one on weekend release from prison, Silien (
Roschdy Zem
Roschdy Zem (born 27 September 1965) is a French actor and filmmaker of Moroccan descent. He shared the award for Best Actor for his role in the film '' Days of Glory'' at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
Career
Versatile and determined to not ...
), tricks him into being his getaway driver when he murders a gangster whose testimony convicted him. Silien, in a
quid pro quo
Quid pro quo ('what for what' in Latin) is a Latin phrase used in English to mean an exchange of goods or services, in which one transfer is contingent upon the other; "a favor for a favor". Phrases with similar meanings include: "give and take", ...
for Vrinks' providing an alibi and keeping silent, tells him about the gang's personnel and hideout. Vrink, implicated in the murder, has little choice but to agree. The victim was an informant of Klein, who suspects Silien of involvement.
Vrinks' team stake out the hideout, with Klein's team as backup but, on the verge of arrests, Klein ignores procedure and drunkenly approaches the gang. While most are still apprehended, an alerted car load open fire, killing Vrinks' best friend and taking a detective hostage. Later, she escapes and one of the criminals is caught and another shot while trying to force a roadblock.
An investigation is launched into the detective's death, but one of Klein's informants coincidentally introduces him to a prostitute who witnessed the murder by Silien. Discovering Vrinks' role, Klein ensures he is prosecuted, meaning that Vrinks' evidence on the gang arrest is inadmissible and Klein exonerated of blame. He offers Camille help but she rejects him. While awaiting proceedings, Vrinks disarms his guards to talk to his wife Camille in the court corridor.
Camille is invited to a meeting by Silien, but her phone is being tapped by Klein's team, who are seeking him. Silien gets into her car and offers her money to live on. Klein, who has been tailing her, orders his team to move in to capture Silien despite being warned of the danger to Camille. They flee but Klein orders that Camille's small and insubstantial car forced off the road and she and Silien are killed in the crash. Klein uses Silien's gun to shoot the dead Camille, then uses his own gun to shoot Silien's body. It now looks like Silien shot Camille, causing the crash, and Klein then shot Silien in self-defence, absolving him of responsibility for their deaths.
Seven years later, Vrinks is released. Klein, who now heads the Paris criminal police, kept his team silent about the truth of Camille's death by promotions, retirements and transfers. Vrinks reunites with his daughter, telling her they are leaving after some unfinished business. He visits Titi, an old colleague, who now works at a club, to find out about Camille's death. They have an spontaneous fight with men who seemed familiar, namely Bruno's friends, who threaten revenge. Later, Bruno ambushes Titi and discovers he was one of the policemen who humiliated him before. He demands to know the names of the others before beating him into a coma.
Vrinks gets a gun to take revenge on Klein, who is attending a police ball. Using a stolen ID, Vrinks attends and confronts Klein in the lavatory. Klein explains Camille was dead when he shot her, and Vrinks suggests he kill himself with Vrinks' gun to avoid exposure. After Vrinks leaves, Klein follows him out, shouting obscenities, threatening to shoot him and blaming him for Camille's death. Bruno, lying in wait, shoots Klein dead. It appears that Titi gave his attackers Klein's name, instead of Vrinks's.
The film ends with Vrinks and his daughter at airport security, heading for a new life abroad.
Cast
*
Daniel Auteuil
Daniel Auteuil (; born 24 January 1950) is a French actor and director who has appeared in a wide range of film genres, including period dramas, romantic comedies, and crime thrillers. In 1996 he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Fest ...
as Léo Vrinks
*
Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...
as Denis Klein
*
André Dussollier
André Dussollier (born 17 February 1946) is a French actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as fi ...
as Robert Mancini
*
Roschdy Zem
Roschdy Zem (born 27 September 1965) is a French actor and filmmaker of Moroccan descent. He shared the award for Best Actor for his role in the film '' Days of Glory'' at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
Career
Versatile and determined to not ...
as Hugo Silien
*
Valeria Golino
Valeria Golino (born 22 October 1965) is an Italian actress and film director. She is best known to English-language audiences for her roles in '' Rain Man'', ''Big Top Pee-wee'' and the two '' Hot Shots!'' films, particularly the olive-in-the-be ...
as Camille Vrinks
*
Anne Consigny
Anne Consigny (; born 25 May 1963) is a French actress who has been active since 1981. She received a César Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in the film '' Not Here to Be Loved'' (2005). She is also known for her role as Claude in ...
as Hélène Klein
*
Mylène Demongeot as Manou Berliner
*
Francis Renaud as Titi Brasseur
*
Daniel Duval
Daniel Duval (28 November 1944 – 10 October 2013) was a French film actor, director and writer.
Best known as an actor, Duval has credits in over 70 television and film productions. As a filmmaker, Duval was awarded the Silver Prize at the 1 ...
as Eddy Valence
* as Ève Verhagen
*
Guy Lecluyse as Groluc
* as Francis Horn
*
Jo Prestia
Jo Prestia (born 5 June 1960 in Porto Empedocle) is an Italian born French kick boxer and actor. He has appeared in more than seventy films since 1996 and is best known for his performance as Le Tenia in the controversial 2002 film, ''Irréversib ...
as Victor Dragan
*
Vincent Moscato
Thierry Vincent Moscato, known as Vincent Moscato (born 28 July 1965, in Paris) is a former French rugby union player as well as radio talk host and actor.
Moscato played as a hooker. He won the French Top 14 title with CA Bordeaux-Bègles Giron ...
as Jenner
* as Smao
*
Olivier Marchal
Olivier Marchal (born 14 November 1958) is a French actor, director, screenwriter, and a former policeman. In 2005, he was nominated for three César Awards (best director, best film and best writing) for his film ''36 Quai des Orfèvres''. He al ...
as Christo
*
Solène Blasch as Lola Vrinks (11 years old)
*
Aurore Auteuil as Lola Vrinks (17 years old)
Aurore Auteuil, the actress who plays Vrinks' daughter (as a grown up) in the film is
Daniel Auteuil
Daniel Auteuil (; born 24 January 1950) is a French actor and director who has appeared in a wide range of film genres, including period dramas, romantic comedies, and crime thrillers. In 1996 he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Fest ...
's real life daughter.
Production
In naming the informant Silien, Olivier Marchal is making a conscious tribute to the whole genre of the French "Policier", Silien being a character in the classic film ''
Le Doulos'', played by
Jean-Paul Belmondo
Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor and producer. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward. His best known credits ...
.
[Source: ''36'' film notes by Miles Fielder.]
See also
*
Cinema of France
French cinema consists of the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe; with primary infl ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:36 Quai Des Orfevres
2004 films
Films set in Paris
2004 crime drama films
Films directed by Olivier Marchal
French neo-noir films
Police detective films
French films about revenge
2000s police procedural films
2000s French-language films
2000s French films