Army of Crime

For such an overtly personal turn from a filmmaker whose heritage so often serves as his raison d’être, German-Armenian filmmaker Robert Guédiguian’s latest tour is oddly novel in tone. Despite a strong and charismatic central performance from Simon Abkarian as exiled Armenian-French poet Missak Manouchian, the reins are never fully taken hold and the film is left to run away with itself. That said it is clear from the outset where Guédiguian has directed his attentions; the cinematography is simply stunning with each frame containing a vibrancy that resonates to the next. But this is simply not enough to carry such an entwined narrative. As such this is an achingly ambitious venture, though in any case an extraordinary account of courage from 1940s war torn France thoroughly deserved of the big screen stage.

Incited into action Manouchian takes it upon himself to assemble an eclectic team of young firebrands and freedom fighters to stand up to the Nazi oppressors who have taken a stranglehold over their homeland. Their Parisian partisanship initially transpires through a string of petty indictments, but increasingly extreme acts of defiance earn the gang a résistance reputation. Hot listed as a dangerous communist rebel in the infamous Affiche Rouge propaganda campaign, whereby thousands of maligning posters were distributed throughout occupied Paris, Manouchian is forced to take his collective underground. As the now clandestine cadre continues to grow, the founding members are placed under increased surveillance and the threat to their lives becomes inexorable.

At times Army of Crime feels every bit of its near two and a half hour run time. The films multi-ethnic ensemble have their own yarns to spin but Guédiguian detrimentely indulges in every one, thus weaving an ornate and overly complex plot. To their credit each actor embraces his or her character with aplomb, but when said roles range so erratically from the caricatured to the embryonic it is hard to keep up, or furthermore care. By the time you have worked your way through the network of themes and characters, you can’t help feel somewhat disappointed that for all its meticulous multi layering, Army of Crime never takes you further than your theatre seat.

With such painstaking attention to detail the extraordinary endeavours of these brave men and women are brought to life with fervour and affection. But by the final foray the meandering narrative has you rendered cold to the troupe’s honourable cause and inevitable demise.

Adam Woodward

Anticipation:

A refreshingly under told tale of French resistance from a passionate, gutsy filmmaker.

Enjoyment:

Easy on the eye, but too long and too labyrinthine.

In Retrospect:

Sadly Guédiguian's strength is not his storytelling.