''7 Days'' (french: Les 7 jours du talion, "The 7 Days of Retaliation") is a 2010 Canadian

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by

Daniel Grou Daniel Grou (born August 19, 1967), frequently credited as Podz, is a Canadian film and television director. His credits include the films '' 10½'', ''L'Affaire Dumont'', ''7 Days (Les 7 jours du Talion)'', '' Miraculum'', '' King Dave'' and '' ...

and starring

Claude Legault Claude Legault (born May 26, 1963) is a Canadian actor and television writer from Quebec. Biography Legault was a star (2000-2003) of the Ligue Nationale d'Improvisation and has since appeared regularly on television, stage and film. He was part ...

. The screenplay was written by Patrick Senécal and based on his novel ''Les sept jours du talion''.

Plot

The ordinary life of surgeon Bruno Hamel (

) is destroyed when his daughter Jasmine (Rose-Marie Coallier) is raped and murdered in a park. Upon learning that the police apprehended the prime suspect, laborer Anthony Lemaire (Martin Dubreuil), Hamel plans to take revenge. He abducts Lemaire while he is being brought to his trial by drugging the officer driving the transport vehicle and brings him to a secluded cabin. Using a remote-controlled computer to conceal his location, Hamel calls the police to inform them that he plans to murder Lemaire in seven days, the seventh day being Jasmine's birthday. After killing him, Hamel will give himself up to the police. Police detective Mercure (

Rémy Girard Rémy Girard (born August 10, 1950) is a Canadian actor and former television host from Montreal, Quebec. Acting career Girard played the role of Rémy, the main character, who is dying of terminal cancer, in the Canadian film ''The Barbarian In ...

) leads the investigation to discover Hamel's whereabouts. Mercure himself suffered a personal tragedy when his wife was killed during a grocery store robbery. Though Mercure acknowledges that the imprisonment of his wife's killer has not made his life more bearable, he becomes determined to stop Hamel before he commits murder. Over the course of the seven days, Hamel brutally tortures Lemaire. Initially frightened and in incredible pain, Lemaire starts to accept his fate and mocks Hamel for not enjoying himself as he inflicts painful injuries on him. Lemaire eventually admits to raping and murdering Jasmine, along with three other girls. Hamel contacts a news station to have the families of Lemaire's victims informed about his captive's confession. When the mother of one of Lemaire's victims disapproves of his actions, Hamel kidnaps her and forces her to see Lemaire. By the seventh day, the police locate Hamel's cabin. Hamel gives himself up and lets Lemaire live. As the police lead him away, a reporter asks him if he still believes vengeance is right. Hamel responds with a "No." However, when asked if he regrets what he has done, he gives the same answer.

Cast

as Bruno Hamel *

as Hervé Mercure *

Martin Dubreuil Martin Dubreuil (born May 26, 1972) is a Canadians, Canadian actor and musician from Quebec.

as Anthony Lemaire *

Fanny Mallette Fanny Mallette (born September 5, 1975) is a Canadian actress. Biography She was nominated for a Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in ''Continental, a Film Without Guns (Continental, un film sans f ...

as Sylvie Hamel * Rose-Marie Coallier as Jasmine Hamel * Alexandre Goyette as Michel Boisevert * Dominique Quesnel as Maryse Pleau * Pascale Delhaes as Diane Masson * Pascal Contamine as Gaétan Morin * Daniel Desputeau as Gilles, Médecin

Release and reception

The film premiered on 22 January 2010 at

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

, as World Premiere. Upon release, critics reacted favorably towards the film. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film has an approval rating of 80%, based on 15 reviews.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:7 Days 2010 films 2010s French-language films Canadian horror thriller films Films based on horror novels Films set in Quebec Films shot in Quebec 2010 psychological thriller films Rape and revenge films Films scored by Reinhold Heil Films scored by Johnny Klimek Films directed by Daniel Grou 2010 horror thriller films Torture in films French-language Canadian films 2010s Canadian films