The Fall of the American Empire

I loved this story of a way over-educated nerd who's filled with Marxist claptrap making a conscious decision to steal bagfuls of cash. Typical of Arcand, the film is very talky, but in a dry and deadpan way that is quite amusing. It's a funny version of Dostoevsky by way of Godard and Woody Allen.

What a director Denys Arcand is - all the way from "Jesus of Montreal" to this superb classic. It is truly a magnificent plot that manages to have its cake and eat it too in that we are dealing with more or less petty crime in the context of larger social crimes. To me the lead roles come off so well because of fine performances - there's a humanity here at work that truly appeals to me. Alexandre Landry as a naive philosophical type who hasn't really got a clue but is kind-hearted and Maripier Morin as sex worker as clever as they come drew me in deeply. The highlight the social context which Arcand is at pains to adumbrate without it overwhelming the story's unfolding into something one might describe as worthwhile and meaningful for an audience whilst also being suspensful. Montreal and Quebec are served well by such productions.

If are already tired of empty movies full of superheroes, sick people love stories, dysfunctional families then take a couple of hours and exercise your brain. Arcand most important weapon are dialogs; like Tarantino's but with very deeper meaning and without forcing styles. It is always necessary to have great actors to deliver most of the lines; and as always his team is perfect even when sometimes did not even look like professional actors. The story is basically a thriller (or a Polar since the movie is in French). A Philosophy witness a holdup and escape with two huge bags full of money. The police tries to nail him. Add to the equation an ex con expert in money laundering, a very expensive prostitute another money laundering expert (this one playing for the big leagues) and a bunch of cops that are perhaps worse than the criminals itself. Yes there a few criminals but they are mostly an accessory to the script. The important thing here is the social commentary. How consumerism has destroyed society and how society is getting every day colder. How government only interest is to get money to expend (and obviously to embezzlement ). Even when the movie plays more than a comedy; there are a couple of quite violent explicit scenes and a good created suspense . Some dialogs are worth remembering forever; some scenes are quite poetic and mood altering and the whole movie is an uplifting experience that let us think about our lives. There are some pace issues and the final two scenes feel unnecessary however is just a very small detail in an otherwise almost perfect movie

I went to watch this movie at the cinema sure that it was nothing special, but I hade to change my idea. The story of this weird and intelligent boy, who unexpectedly finds two bags full of money, is funny but also full of positive feelings and intents. The movie shows at the same time the worst and the best of our society, without forgetting a love story, friendship and charity. I think it is definitely a movie to watch.

The last Arcand's movie "Le règle de la beauté" (An Eye for Beauty) was a big disappointment from the man who gave us Decline of the American Empire, The Barbarian Invasions who won an Oscar, and Jesus of Montreal. In the first 5 minutes of the opening, you can feel that this will be good. Arcand is at his best when he has those witty dialogues. Sarcastic, just like he was in his best movies. The best guess of Arcand was to use Maripier Morin, whose is not an actress but a girl who started in reality TV shows. Well, she's good. With the right director and some talent, you can be good. She plays a high-class hooker, not in the typical way we usually see that role, but for her first major role, it's impressing. Alexandre Landry, the guy who ends up with the stollen money is a very good actor, hope we'd see him more often. The love interest between those two could be more convincing, this is the only problem with that script, hard to understand why she'd fall for him. Would have needed a few extra scenes to make it more believable. If you like Arcand's dialogue and criticism of the American Society, you will smile for 2 hours.