MR 73

Louis Schneider is a discredited and shattered Marseilles cop, haunted by personal demons but offered a last chance of redemption through protecting a young woman from the criminal, soon to be released from prison, who killed her parents twenty-five years earlier.

Daniel Auteuil, one of the most popular and prolific French actors ever since his starring role in the internationally successful Jean de Florette/Manon des Sources diptych, holds his own again with this deep role of an unforgettable washed-up cop. His engrossing portrayal of Detective Schneider’s downward spiral encompasses all areas of the human condition. Olivia Bonamy also delivers a powerful performance as Justine, the shocked and traumatized ex-victim of the serial-killer.

Beautifully acted and stylishly directed, MR 73 never ceases to captivate and to intrigue, and is a triumphant return to the crime dramas of the 1980s. Screenwriter and director Olivier Marchal (Gangsters, 36), uses his own experiences as a police officer to craft this brutal thriller that oozes depression and rage. MR 73 (which is police slang for the Manurhin 73, a standard handgun for French cops in the 1970s and 1980s) forges an impressive balance between the police investigation story and the main detective’s character development.

This Edgy thriller  brings to mind the likes of Michael Mann’s crime films like Heat and is a must-see for any fans of gritty dramas and multi-dimensional characters.