The Army of Crime Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

The Army of Crime Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 9, 2010

Screened at last year's Cannes Film Festival, Robert Guédiguian's "L'armee du crime" a.k.a "The Army of Crime" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include: an interview with director Robert Guediguian, filmed at the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse during the Cambridge Film Festival on September 17, 2009; "L'armee Solaire," a documentary by Arto Pehlivanian with R. Guediguian and A. Ascaride on The Army of Crime, hosted by Charles Sylvestre, journalist at L'humanite with Edmonde Charles-Roux, President of Friends of L'humanite; raw footage from the film's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival; a long interview with actors Virginie Ledoyen & Simon Abkarian; "Meeting a Survivor: Henri Karayan," filmed at Montreuil, June 2008; and a theatrical trailer. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Comrades

German-Armenian director Robert Guediguian's latest film is set during WWII and tells the story of a group of young communists, most born and raised outside of France, who sacrifice their lives for the country they love. Before they are executed in 1944, their faces are inset on a large red poster that is consequently placed on the walls of every city in the country. The Nazis label them as "The Army of Crime."

Armenian poet Missak Manouchian (Simon Abkarian, I Saw Ben Barka Get Killed) is the leader of the group. He does not like killing, but after the Nazis begin rounding up and sending French Jews to the death camps, he decides that he can no longer be an observer. Missak is the oldest man in the group.

Melinee (Virginie Ledoyen Late August, Early September), Missak's wife, loves her husband dearly. She suspects that Missak and his friends are responsible for many of the explosions and killings of Nazi personnel throughout Paris and prays that the war comes to an end soon. Melinee also understands that Missak ignores most of her questions because he wants to protect her.

Thomas (Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet, The Beautiful Person) is a young and passionate Marxist who knows how to deal with explosives. Together with his friend Marcel (Robinson Stevenin, The Colonel), he is responsible for some of the boldest and deadliest attacks on Nazi personnel in Paris.

Monique (Lola Naymark, Sequins) is in love with Marcel and wants to be with him as much as possible. But between planning attacks with Thomas and carrying them out, Marcel hardly has any time left for her.

Inspector Pujol (Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Conversations with my Gardener) has realized that it is better to collaborate with the Nazis than fight them. To earn their respect, he provides them with valuable information about the whereabouts of wanted resistance fighters. Eventually, he is offered a promotion. He accepts it and meets Monique, who agrees to sleep with him if he promises to save Marcel.

Robert Guediguian's The Army of Crime reminded me about Rachid Bouchareb's Days of Glory. Both films tell stories about foreigners sacrificing their lives to liberate the country they love. In Boucgareb's film thousands of Algerian soldiers are summoned to fight the Nazis in North Africa and, later on, Europe. In Guediguian's film a group of Armenians, Jews, Poles, Hungarians, Italians and Spaniards unite and begin terrorizing the Nazis in Paris. Both films are based on true stories.

The Army of Crime, however, is not as flamboyant as Days of Glory. Rather, it quietly examines the lives of its main characters as they gradually evolve into fearless freedom fighters. There are no loud political statements in the film either.

The enormous emphasis on detail as well as the film's unique episodic structure, however, can be quite overwhelming. Guediguian follows the main protagonists almost too closely, making it virtually impossible for the viewer to keep track of everything that takes place on the screen.

Nevertheless, the atmosphere in The Army of Crime is terrific. The gloomy streets of Paris, the secret group meetings, the Vicny regime propaganda broadcasts, the sudden explosions, everything is done exceptionally well.

The Army of Crime also boasts a very strong music soundtrack courtesy of award-winning composer Alexandre Desplat ( The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).

The Army of Crime Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Robert Guediguian's The Army of Crime arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment.

The high-definition transfer for The Army of Crime is quite dark, boasting a slightly faded brownish look. Many of the nighttime scenes - and specifically the secret meetings - have a very subdued look, which at times makes it rather difficult to see clearly the faces of the main protagonists. Nevertheless, fine object detail is pleasing. Furthermore, both edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not a serious issue of concern. Compression artifacts and ringing also do not affect the integrity of the presentation. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing flecks, scratches, or stains to report in this review. This being said, I wish I had seen The Army of Crime theatrically so that I knew what its intended look is. There are certain parts of the film where natural light is used in a very unique manner, exacerbating the earlier mentioned faded look the film boasts quite dramatically. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Army of Crime Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Optimum Home Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles.

The French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is strong. The bass is potent and the high-frequencies not overdone. The surround channels are not overly active, but I found them to be effective. Furthermore, the dialog is crisp, clean and very easy to follow. There are no balance issues with Alexandre Desplat's wonderful music score either. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review. To sum it all up, even though the French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track isn't likely to test to the limits of your audio equipment, it will certainly please you with its nuanced dynamics.

The Army of Crime Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Interview - an interview with director Robert Guediguian, filmed at the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse during the Cambridge Film Festival on September 17, 2009. The French director answers a series of questions about the message of his film, his background and memories of the Resistance, and particularly the immigrant groups in it, the complex nature of the story, whether his film is an attempt to renew interest in left-wing values, etc. In French, with optional English subtitles. (15 min, PAL).

Meeting Virginie Ledoyen & Simon Abkarian - this interview was conducted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009. The two actors discuss their characters as well as specific historic events Robert Guediguian's film recreates. In French, with optional English subtitles. (22 min, PAL).

Meeting a Survivor: Henri Karayan - filmed at Montreuil, June 2008, a few weeks before shooting began, this featurette follow Henri Karayan as he is introduced to the cast. In French, with optional English subtitles. (30 min, PAL).

Army of Crime at Cannes - raw footage from the film's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009. In French, with optional English subtitles. (5 min, PAL).

L'armee Solaire - a documentary by Arto Pehlivanian with R. Guediguian and A. Ascaride on the Army of Crime, hosted by Charles Sylvestre, journalist at L'humanite with Edmonde Charles-Roux, President of Friends of L'humanite. In French, with optional English subtitles. (44 min, PAL).

Trailer - the film's original theatrical trailer. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, PAL).

The Army of Crime Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Robert Guediguian's The Army of Crime is a complex, well acted and terrifically lensed period film. It may, however, prove to be too rich for some viewers. On the other hand, if you strip its story of its period elements, and think about its message in a more contemporary context, it could be quite a fascinating experience. Think about it: Can immigrants be patriots? RECOMMENDED.