''Machine Gun Molly'' (french: Monica la mitraille) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

crime drama film, directed by Pierre Houle and released in 2004. Based on the life of

Monica Proietti Monica Proietti (; February 25, 1940 – September 19, 1967) was a Canadian bank robber and folk hero from Montreal, better known as "Machine Gun Molly" (in French: ''Monica la Mitraille''). Proietti came from a poor Montreal family, and many ...

, the film stars

Céline Bonnier Céline Bonnier (; born August 31, 1965) is a French Canadian actress from Quebec. She has been nominated for four awards including Genie Awards and Gemini Awards. Filmography * 1992: ''Tectonic Plates'' * 1994: ''The Wind from Wyoming (Le V ...

as Monique Sparvieri, a woman in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

who despite the odds turns to and excels in, the primarily male dominated field that is, the life of

bank robbery Bank robbery is the criminal act of stealing from a bank, specifically while bank employees and customers are subjected to force, violence, or a threat of violence. This refers to robbery of a bank branch or teller, as opposed to other bank- ...

. The film's cast also includes

Roy Dupuis Roy Michael Joseph Dupuis (; born April 21, 1963) is a Canadian actor best known in America for his role as counterterrorism operative Michael Samuelle in the television series '' La Femme Nikita''. In Canada, specifically Quebec, he's known for ...

Patrick Huard Patrick Huard (born January 2, 1969) is a Quebec-born Canadian actor, writer and comedian. Career Patrick Huard broke into the Quebec show business scene in 1989 as a comedian, actor and television personality. A hard-working multifaceted talen ...

, Marc Labrèche,

Isabelle Blais Isabelle Sophie Emilie Blais (born June 21, 1975) is a Canadian film and television actress and singer. History Isabelle Blais was born on June 21, 1975 in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. She is a graduate of the Montreal campus of the Conservatoir ...

Luc Roy Luc Roy (born in Quebec, Canada) is a Québécois actor. Luc is the brother of Québécois actors Gildor Roy, Yvon Roy and Maxim Roy, with whom he starred on his first and her second appearance in '' Coyote''. Filmography * '' Coyote'' (19 ...

, Louis-Philippe Dury and

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 ...

Plot

Monique Sparvieri, oldest daughter to an impoverished Montreal family vows to find a way out of the ghetto which she calls home. After the abandonment of Michael, the love of her life, Monique finds herself alone yet again, once her second husband, Gaston, is sentenced to ten months in prison. While other girls her age were still fantasizing about their Prince Charming, and being married off into a better life, Monique took matters into her own hands. Her and her new love, Gerald Simard, plan a series of bank robberies to help them alleviate their current financial stress. Infatuated by love and success, Monique is fearless in her pursuit of crime, as she tirelessly ensures her children do not experience the same miserable upbringing as she once did.

Cast

Career

Monique Sparvieri's character is based on the real-life story of Monica Proietti. Living with eight other siblings, Proietti was introduced to the life of crime at a young age to help support the family. Her grandmother ran a veritable school on stealing for impoverished kids in the neighbourhood. Proietti's second husband however, Viateur Tessier, is the person who mainly set Monica along her path of crime, being a noted criminal himself. He was the one who taught her all the tricks of the bank robbing trade. Much like any industry, Proietti started at the bottom, working as the getaway car driver and similarly smaller roles in several bank robberies. It didn't take long for Proietti to rise among the ranks as her male cohorts recognized and were impressed by her "ice nerves" and "how she could handle a machine gun", as stated by Montreal Star Reporter Tim Burke. During her two-year bank robbing spree, Monica Proietti became somewhat of a media darling. The french media called her Monica la Matraille while the anglophone papers coined her, "Machine Gun Molly". Despite her infamy, Monica was able to outwit authorities for two years due to clever disguises, as she appeared male during heists and switched back into more feminine clothing right afterwards. During her career, it is believed that she accumulated over $100,000 (over $650,000 in today's standard) from twenty different establishments. By September 1967, Monica grew tired of her life of crime and decided to pull off one more job and then retire. Her plan to rob the Caisse Populaire in Montreal- Nord however, would be her last, as she would be shot twice mid - heist.

Recognition

The film garnered seven

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

nominations at the 25th Genie Awards, for

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

(Houle),

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...

(Bonnier), Best Adapted Screenplay (

Luc Dionne Luc Dionne is a Canadian screenwriter and director born in Quebec in 1960. Luc's work is largely directed towards the French-speaking market. However, many within the industry accredit Dionne's successful '' Omerta'' series as being an inspiration ...

and Sylvain Guy), Art Direction/Production Design (

Michel Proulx Michel Proulx (born 1946 in Montreal) is a Genie Award winning production designer and art director. He earned a Genie Award for Best Achievement in Art Direction/Production Design The Canadian Screen Award for Best Achievement in Art Direction ...

Costume Design Costume design is the creation of clothing for the overall appearance of a character or performer. Costume may refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a class, or a period. In many cases, it may contribute to the fullness of the arti ...

(

Michèle Hamel Michele (), is an Italian male given name, akin to the English male name Michael. Michele (pronounced ), is also an English female given name that is derived from the French Michèle. It is a variant spelling of the more common (and identicall ...

), Sound Editing (Marcel Pothier, Natalie Fleurant, Guy Francoeur, Carole Gagnon and Antoine Morin) and Original Song ("Le Blues de Monica" by Lorraine Richard,

Michel Cusson UZEB is a Canadian jazz fusion band from Montreal, Quebec who were active from 1976 to 1992, and reunited in November 2016. The members are Alain Caron (bass guitar), Michel Cusson (guitar), and Paul Brochu ( drums). The band won a number of Can ...

and Pierre Houle). It won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay."Animated Triplets wins top prize at Canada's Genie Awards". ''Screen Daily'', March 22, 2005.

References

External links

* * * {{Mojo title, monicalamitraille 2004 films Quebec films Canadian crime drama films 2004 crime drama films French-language Canadian films 2000s Canadian films 2000s French-language films