Focus on French Cinema - French Film Festival of Greenwich

2009

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	Genre: THRILLER
	Director: Jacques Maillot
	Screenplay: Jacques Maillot, Pierre Chosson, Eric Veniard. Inspired by the book "Deux frères: flic et truand" by Bruno and Michel Papet.
	Director of photography: Luc Pages
	Cast: Guillaume Canet (Francois) Francois Cluzet (Gabriel) Clotilde Hesme (Corinne) Marie Denarnaud (Nathalie)
	Running time: 1hr 46min Production: France, 2007 Distributor: Studio Canal ›› OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Les Liens du Sang
Rivals

Introduction and discussion by Augustin Zarzosa, Professor of Cinema Studies at Purchase College

“Rivals” is a social film noir set in 1970s Lyon, focusing on the relationship between two brothers, police detective François (Guillaume Canet) and petty criminal Gabriel (François Cluzet).
When Gabriel is released from jail after 10 years, he is determined to straighten out his life and not fall back into the criminal way of life. François does his best to help him, but old demons catch up with Gabriel and the two brothers find themselves caught up in a spiral, their opposite social positions seeming to lead to the same dead-end.
Jacques Maillot was inspired by the story of Bruno and Michel Papet, who wrote a book about their life. I n this thriller, he reunites Guillaume Canet and François Cluzet, co-stars of Tell no One, directed by Canet in 2007.

Pic kicks off with a whammy police car chase straight out of “Starsky & Hutch,” as Francois (Canet) captures some fleeing bank robbers and shows he’s one of Lyons’ finest (both with a gun and a hair dryer—note his Travolta-style blow out).
“Rivals” is less a generic thriller than a nuanced character study of two men who justify their screwy behavior by blaming society (in Gabriel’s case) or childhood (Francois). Pic is carried more by its intimate, well-played portrayal of siblings than by its mild, almost anti-climatic narrative. - Jordan Mintzer, Variety

Jacques Maillot, Director
2008 Les Liens du sang (Rivals)
2002 Froid comme l'été (Cold as Summer) (TV)
1999 Nos vies heureuses (Our Happy Lives)
1995 75 centilitres de prière (A Bottle of Wishes) (Short)

Francois Cluzet
Francois Cluzet, a film and theatre actor for 30 years, attained international acclaim as the star of Guillaume Canet's "Tell No One," winning the Cesar (he has received 5 additional nominations). He has worked with such renowned directors as Claude Chabrol, Tonie Marshall, Bertrand Tavernier, Diane Kurys, Lawrence Kasdan, and Robert Altman.

Guillaume Canet, Actor
Guillaume Canet is one of his generation’s most gifted French actors and directors. Onscreen he has appeared with Jean Rochefort (“Barracuda”, ‘97), Jean Yanne (“Je regle mes pas sur le pas de mon pere”, ‘98), Marion Cotillard, (“Jeux d’enfants”, ‘03), Sophie Marceau (“La Fidelite”, ‘00) and Leonardo Di Caprio (“The Beach”, ‘00). He directed and wrote “Mon Idole” (’02) and “Tell No One” (’06), adapted from Harlan Coben’s novel. For this film he became the youngest recipient ever of the Best Director Cesar.