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The Emperor of Paris

L'Empereur de Paris

  • Status: Released
  • 19-12-2018
  • Runtime: 121 min
  • Score: 6.336
  • Vote count: 506

Paris, France, early 19th century. The legendary convict François Vidocq lives in disguise trying to escape from a tragic past that torments him. When, after an unfortunate event, he crosses paths with the police chief, he makes a bold decision that will turn the ruthless mastermind of the Parisian underworld against him.

Vincent Cassel

Vidocq

Patrick Chesnais

Henry

August Diehl

Nathanaël

Olga Kurylenko

The Baroness

Denis Lavant

Maillard

Freya Mavor

Annette

Denis Ménochet

Dubillard

Jérôme Pouly

Courtaud

James Thierrée

The Duke

Fabrice Luchini

Fouché

Fayçal Safi

Mehmet

Antoine Lelandais

'Fleur d'Épine'

Frédéric Fix

Pelissier

Némo Schiffman

Charles

Lucien Belvès

Poitou

Maxime Lefrançois

Farge

Antoine Basler

Perrin

Fabien Orcier

Veteran

Jérôme Cachon

Gendarme at Bicêtre

Régis Maynard

Letallec

Anne Seiller

Maid

Hervé Masquelier

Bourgeois

Philippe Mamolo

Henchman

Michael Perez

Thief

Solène Delannoy

Prostitute

Thierry Nenez

Old Landlord

Rémy Giordano

Henry's Servant

Franck Mercadal

Usher at Fouché's Office

Vincent Haquin

Convict at Bicêtre

Patrick Médioni

Prisoner at Bicêtre #1

Nicolas de Lavergne

Prisoner at Bicêtre #2

Emmanuel Brochet

Prisoner at Bicêtre #3

Hervé Falloux

Solicitant Marquis

Pascal Loison

Martial

Maxime Motte

Redhead

Philippe Beautier

Camelot

Manuel Guillot

Orchardman

Richard Sammut

Man at Chez L'Ami Guillotin

Jean-Michel Vovk

Guard at Bagne of Toulon

Xavier Pottier

Butcher

Olivier Peynot

Soldier

Marie Utreh

Merchant's Customer

Mark Schneider

Napoleon Bonaparte

Jean-François Richet

Marshal of the Empire Michel Ney

CinemaSerf

“Vidocq” (Vincent Cassel) is thriving amidst the underworld of Napoleonic France but having been wrongly convicted of murder and escaped from captivity, is keen to go straight and earn an amnesty from the government. That might be possible, but for that to happen he is going to have to co-operate with the embryonic Sûreté and help track down some insurgents. Needless to say, when rumours start to flow that he has turned his coat, the fraternity that was once his safe source of his anonymity now starts to make his life even more dangerous than his new task. Historically, this has it’s roots in an actual man who was instrumental in setting up a French national police force, but as this goes, we are presented with a great looking drama that’s really lacking in depth or characterisation. Save for a few potent appearances from Fabrice Luchini as the cynically duplicitous minister Fouché, the underused but still useful August Diehl’s duplicitous Nathanaël and an enthusiastic effort from James Thiérrée as the dashing, cavalier-like Duc de Neufchâteau it’s all a rather pedestrian affair that seems to imbue Vidocq with a certain degree of implausible immortality. Perhaps it is just simply trying to condense too much history into two hours but we never seem to get to know any of these folk; to get even the most basic understanding of what drove them nor of how precarious the whole French empire was at the time. It also tries too hard to involve us in half-cooked internecine plots that aren’t properly explained or put into context, and so might as well be a few stand alone (and sometimes quite repetitive) episodes of “The Three Musketeers” meets “The Count of Monte Cristo”. Cassel does own the part and the production designers and the armourers have done a great job creating a dark and gritty environment for this history to unfold, but believe it or not it can almost verge on the dull at times. There’s a solid ensemble cast backing things up, but it’s ultimately a bit of a meringue of a story - lots of topping but not much underneath.