The Army of Crime
What?
I’m steadily baffled at the voluminous quantity of World War II films produced year in and year out. Among these, many fall flat on their faces while some exceedingly astound their demographic with new and innovative ways to tell their stories. Moreover, the qualities of most of these aforementioned WWII pictures are praiseworthy when juxtaposed against the lesser titles. Inglorious Basterds, Defiance, and now The Army of Crime, have all done total and complete justice to the genre by upending already held beliefs that every story has been told or that emotionally demanding and equally entertaining films to watch within the genus have been extinct. With just the appropriate balance of violent action accompanied by dramatic character as well as plot development, this niche is anything but exhausted or even dead—thanks especially to Army of Crime. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a sheer sucker for World War II movies. There’s something romantically charming and courageous about the time period. These stories portray the definitive battle between good versus evil. The audience is swept into a believable on screen legitimacy, which requires little to suspend disbelief due to the realistic merit. The “war to end all wars” has become a very genuine aspect of our world history. All of these rigorous, decisive factors are represented to the letter in Army of Crime like that of no other recent WWII film that comes to mind (yes, and this is coming from a huge Tarantino fan). Perhaps a reason for this is the combination of meticulous production design, fully matured character development, and—as obvious as it may seem—the language. Since Army of Crime is in the native French with English subtitles, a tangible legitimacy is reached that other Hollywood WWII films lacked because of their flimsy, unrealistic choice to produce the films in an English speaking country entirely in English. The cinematography is breathtaking, the non-Hollywood, non-fiction aesthetics has the ability to transport audiences to a war torn region in Nazi occupied France. Between the character performances, flawless set designs, language, and factual evidence of this story-taking place, Army of Crime feels like a sort of heightened documentary rather than an overly glossy moneymaker from the big studios. Our psychologically complex characters had me sympathetically caring for them throughout the duration of the film. Their cause was just, their feelings appropriate, and their hope unwavering. This is how characters should be portrayed. Better yet, with the subtitles, the viewer is more grounded with their struggles, rather than being distracted by outside forces.
The Army of Crime instills everything a neo-classic World War II film has to offer. I can’t imagine being more submerged in this group of ordinary heroes and heroines who are pitted against the despicable Nazi forces. With a combination of immigrates and citizens to cheer for, the proponents of freedom and liberty have never looked or sounded better in high definition Blu-ray. Are you ready for a rejuvenated character study as well as period piece about WWII? Look no further than The Army of Crime.
Optics:
The 1:85 framed, 35 mm print has several facets in favor of it. Firstly, there’s an unsaturated, almost colorless appearance during indoor, night, and city scenes. And secondly, to the contrary of the former, the outdoors frames are verdant as well as full. Facial detail is rewardingly deep, though occasionally has a “too smooth” feeling. The set and production design can really be enjoyed in full 1080p. The Parisian streets have a life all their own and come through clean and clear. Army of Crime’s image is virtually noise free; I never noticed any specks or debris, furthermore, I didn’t detect any thick grain. The visuals accommodate the dreary subject matter like nothing else I’ve seen as of late. If you can’t tell, I’m really blown away by the mise-en-scene of The Army of Crime—it translates very well!
Sonics:
Though I may not have been as wowed by the audio as I was the visuals, there’s still a great deal to be pleased with in this area. The lossless 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio delivers intelligible dialogue along with thundering action scenes intertwined throughout. You essentially get the best of both worlds with The Army of Crime’s video and sound quality. Even if the longer dialogue scenes may seem to stretch out while the action events don’t last nearly as long, the two find a happy dramatic medium that results in being a lively yet solid soundtrack.
Extras:
Variety is always a strong point with extras. We don’t exactly have a preponderance of bonuses, but what’s here makes for a thorough, robust set of supplements that add quite a bit to the overall thematic presentation. It beings with an interview with the director, a “Meeting Virginie Ledoyen and Simon Abkarian” interview, another more informative interview called “Meeting a Survivor: Henri Karayan,” a featurette about The Army of Crime at Cannes 2009, then a “Rendez-vous with Director (French Communist Party Meeting),” and finally the trailer. Director Robert Guédiguian gives audiences some info on the production of The Army of Crime, but I found the survivor interview to be the most emotionally moving and relevant extra to the actual story.
Well?
Could this be the World War II film to end all World War II films? Probably not; however, The Army of Crime is a sensational war thriller that has everything going for it in way of a grandiose narrative achievement. Do you love WWII movies? Then add this relentlessly unapologetic piece. Army of Crime has found its way into my revisit queue and I can’t wait for a second go around!
Grant Iwan
I’m steadily baffled at the voluminous quantity of World War II films produced year in and year out. Among these, many fall flat on their faces while some exceedingly astound their demographic with new and innovative ways to tell their stories. Moreover, the qualities of most of these aforementioned WWII pictures are praiseworthy when juxtaposed against the lesser titles. Inglorious Basterds, Defiance, and now The Army of Crime, have all done total and complete justice to the genre by upending already held beliefs that every story has been told or that emotionally demanding and equally entertaining films to watch within the genus have been extinct. With just the appropriate balance of violent action accompanied by dramatic character as well as plot development, this niche is anything but exhausted or even dead—thanks especially to Army of Crime. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a sheer sucker for World War II movies. There’s something romantically charming and courageous about the time period. These stories portray the definitive battle between good versus evil. The audience is swept into a believable on screen legitimacy, which requires little to suspend disbelief due to the realistic merit. The “war to end all wars” has become a very genuine aspect of our world history. All of these rigorous, decisive factors are represented to the letter in Army of Crime like that of no other recent WWII film that comes to mind (yes, and this is coming from a huge Tarantino fan). Perhaps a reason for this is the combination of meticulous production design, fully matured character development, and—as obvious as it may seem—the language. Since Army of Crime is in the native French with English subtitles, a tangible legitimacy is reached that other Hollywood WWII films lacked because of their flimsy, unrealistic choice to produce the films in an English speaking country entirely in English. The cinematography is breathtaking, the non-Hollywood, non-fiction aesthetics has the ability to transport audiences to a war torn region in Nazi occupied France. Between the character performances, flawless set designs, language, and factual evidence of this story-taking place, Army of Crime feels like a sort of heightened documentary rather than an overly glossy moneymaker from the big studios. Our psychologically complex characters had me sympathetically caring for them throughout the duration of the film. Their cause was just, their feelings appropriate, and their hope unwavering. This is how characters should be portrayed. Better yet, with the subtitles, the viewer is more grounded with their struggles, rather than being distracted by outside forces.
The Army of Crime instills everything a neo-classic World War II film has to offer. I can’t imagine being more submerged in this group of ordinary heroes and heroines who are pitted against the despicable Nazi forces. With a combination of immigrates and citizens to cheer for, the proponents of freedom and liberty have never looked or sounded better in high definition Blu-ray. Are you ready for a rejuvenated character study as well as period piece about WWII? Look no further than The Army of Crime.
Optics:
The 1:85 framed, 35 mm print has several facets in favor of it. Firstly, there’s an unsaturated, almost colorless appearance during indoor, night, and city scenes. And secondly, to the contrary of the former, the outdoors frames are verdant as well as full. Facial detail is rewardingly deep, though occasionally has a “too smooth” feeling. The set and production design can really be enjoyed in full 1080p. The Parisian streets have a life all their own and come through clean and clear. Army of Crime’s image is virtually noise free; I never noticed any specks or debris, furthermore, I didn’t detect any thick grain. The visuals accommodate the dreary subject matter like nothing else I’ve seen as of late. If you can’t tell, I’m really blown away by the mise-en-scene of The Army of Crime—it translates very well!
Sonics:
Though I may not have been as wowed by the audio as I was the visuals, there’s still a great deal to be pleased with in this area. The lossless 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio delivers intelligible dialogue along with thundering action scenes intertwined throughout. You essentially get the best of both worlds with The Army of Crime’s video and sound quality. Even if the longer dialogue scenes may seem to stretch out while the action events don’t last nearly as long, the two find a happy dramatic medium that results in being a lively yet solid soundtrack.
Extras:
Variety is always a strong point with extras. We don’t exactly have a preponderance of bonuses, but what’s here makes for a thorough, robust set of supplements that add quite a bit to the overall thematic presentation. It beings with an interview with the director, a “Meeting Virginie Ledoyen and Simon Abkarian” interview, another more informative interview called “Meeting a Survivor: Henri Karayan,” a featurette about The Army of Crime at Cannes 2009, then a “Rendez-vous with Director (French Communist Party Meeting),” and finally the trailer. Director Robert Guédiguian gives audiences some info on the production of The Army of Crime, but I found the survivor interview to be the most emotionally moving and relevant extra to the actual story.
Well?
Could this be the World War II film to end all World War II films? Probably not; however, The Army of Crime is a sensational war thriller that has everything going for it in way of a grandiose narrative achievement. Do you love WWII movies? Then add this relentlessly unapologetic piece. Army of Crime has found its way into my revisit queue and I can’t wait for a second go around!
Grant Iwan
Director:
Robert Guédiguian
Starring:
Simon Abkarian
Virginie Ledoyen
Robinson Stévenin
Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet
Lola Naymark
Yann Trégouët
Ariane Ascaride
Best line:
"Died for France."
Tagline:
"The Army of Crime."
Description:
Optimum
UK
Region B
Rated 15
2Hrs 19 Min
1:85:1
AVC/1080p/BD50
DTS-HD MA 5.1
(French)
Subtitles: Eng
Interview with the director
'Meeting Virginie Ledoyen and Simon Abkarian'
'Meeting a Survivor: Henri Karayan'
'Army of Crime at Cannes 2009'
'Rendez-vous with Director'
(French Communist Party Meeting)
Trailer
Ratings: (Out of 10)
Film 8.0
Optics 8.0
Sonics 8.0
Extras 8.0
Overall 8.0
