Movies - Vidocq

In the days of me getting free cable television (sometime last year/earlier this year), I came across a movie one evening that had Gérard Depardieu moving faster than I had ever seen him, fighting some masked creature (who had pretty amazing, Matrx-esque moves) before falling to his death in a flaming pit.

The movie was in French with Japanese subtitles, so I tried my best to follow it. I like my sci-fi fantasy movies involving masked figures, capes, the French language in all its gloriousness, and dark underground corridors.

Alas the Japanese got too complicated and I gave up, making a note to find out the name of the movie to get hold of it at a later date.

I finally managed to watch it a few hours ago. I knew it was totally my kind of movie and indeed, I loved it! It was so pretty and after a bit of research, I found out that one of the reasons for its prettiness is because the director also works on films with my favourite director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Vidocq is apparently the first sci-fi fantasy film to be shot entirely on digital film.

The story is set in .. umm.. the 18th century (?) and involves Vidocq, a rogue detective of sorts who, while investigating some murders, confronts a masked figure, and while fighting gets his hiney whipped, resulting in his getting dumped into a flaming pit.

His biographer/a young journalist, desperate to avenge the death of Vidocq, goes on a quest to find out how Vidocq died and what he was investigating.

GREAT costumes and cinematography. And editing. It was definitely a movie I had to watch at home with my finger on the fast-forward button, because it had a lot of grisly death. Think blood of virgins, associated slicing n' dicing, yada-yada. Absolutely nothing graphic, but I have VERY low tolerance for gore. My grandma would've fallen asleep due to LACK of grossness, in her opinion.

The premise of masked dude (?)'s intentions is quite disturbing and creepy, but heck, if I can watch it, so can anyone.

Some of the SFX were a lil bit dodge, and there were some parts where I thought "But that doesn't makes sense.. I thought they were.." but it's best to just forget about these things and enjoy the movie for the good sci-fi fantasy romp that it is.

And did I mention it was pretty?