By itself, "Cavale" is a good film. As part of the "Trilogy" it's an absolute masterpiece.
"Cavale" is a gritty crime drama about a man who escapes from prison after 15 years. The escapee "Bruno" (played by writer/director Lucas Belvaux) is a 1970s revolutionary who resumes his freedom fight without realizing that the world is not the same as it was 15 years earlier. This film by itself is a fascinating story of idealism vs. fanaticism. Well worth your time. But as the 1st part of the stunning "Trilogy" it's something every film lover must see.
First a word or two about the Trilogy. Each film depicts the same 3 days--the same reality--but from vastly different character perspectives. 3 sides to a story which we don't fully grasp until we watch the surprising finale. Be prepared to be fooled, because that's the underlying theme of all 3 films: that the truth is not what it seems on first glance. I rate each film 8/10 stars (which is very high on my scale), but as a comprehensive whole I give them the highest 10 star marks for pulling off what no filmmaker has done since 1950. (That's a nod to "Rashomon" and "Citizen Kane" in case you didn't already figure it out!)
"Cavale" itself starts on full throttle and doesn't ease up until its surprising and poetic last 5 seconds. In the opening scene we are shown the dramatic escape in very tight, claustrophobic shots, as if to hint that this is just 1 narrow view of a greater reality. The story widens out to include new characters, ex-friends and associates of our protagonist Bruno, and we start to piece together what this man's story is about.
The sequel to this film, "Un couple épatant", is a romantic comedy. If you can believe it. Yes, concurrently with a violent crime thriller we have the same characters, with some of the same scenes, in a romantic comedy. How the heck do they pull this off? Watch the films.
