36 Quai des Orfèvres

At long last a good French crime movie following in the footsteps of the great tradition of years past. Maximum emphasis on characters and their mental states is pleasant, although they didn’t have to sideline the screenplay because of it. It is slightly brought down by the ending, which is “just" good, not on the excellent same par as the rest of the movie. The dark characters that had been so carefully constructed throughout the movie (the atmosphere as well) then seem to trail off into nothing. Had this been made in the seventies, I would give this four stars as an above-average genre piece. However, these days I can’t give it less than a full set of five: I really miss this kind of movie. And also Marchal won my admiration for his evident love for Heat. (18.06.2005)

This is an old-fashioned (in the good sense of the word) crime flick about a duel of characters rather than firearms. Depardieu suits the role of the villain as if it was created specifically for him, the supporting characters make sense, and there’s not a single hole in the plot, which is not in any way complicated. Police action in a respectable and intelligent European package. The only drawback is a few overly sentimental and drawn-out scenes, which make the film seem longer than it actually is. (19.03.2006)

The professional experience of a cop and the talent of a filmmaker (bravo Marchale!) combine to create a compelling crime drama that reminded me in its mood of the old Delon movies and the crime films made in France in the 1970s. The film stands on an engaging plot, the excellent performances of two of the most prominent personalities of French cinema today (I like Auteuil more and more from film to film, and Depardieu is very believable as a villain) and a raw realistic atmosphere starting with solidly shot action scenes and ending with the production design. French cinema as I like it is still alive!! Fuck Besson’s disposable production prefabs :) (29.10.2005)

Even before Olivier Marchal sat in the director's chair, he must have seen a lot of bad things during his previous police career, because otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to portray this harsh story of an uncompromising battle between police officers and criminals, even among themselves, with such perfectly honed rawness. Formally, 36th Precinct only lightly hints at the style of older French and American crime films, but then it continues as a modern narrative in which Marchal hands over the sharp editing and fast camera movements to the pace itself, which at times rushes incredibly wildly and then slows down mainly in the second half, as a completely different storyline emerges. The slower rhythm of the story is mirrored in the music, transitioning from booming samples to romantically sounding piano tones, and every audience member begins to desperately hope for at least a small happy ending that would somewhat soothe their jolted senses. Under the director's firm hand, Daniel Auteuil and Gérard Depardieu give riveting performances, especially the latter who surprises in an uncharacteristically negative role. If there's anything wrong with 36th Precinct, it's probably the somewhat roughly carved psychology of the characters in the first part of the film, where the viewer must speculate a bit about the reasons for the mutual animosity between the policemen. However, this is just a minor flaw in an otherwise formally and thematically brilliant film that will make you sick not only of the police but also of "all the filth around" as a whole. (03.08.2005)

You can't expect a bad film from Olivier Marchal. Department 36 is an excellent French crime thriller focusing more on rivalry and backstabbing between cops, but all this is so gripping that the film won't let you breathe a sigh of relief, and all this accompanied by an excellent cast (the film has all the stars from France, only Vincent Cassel and Jean Reno are missing). I've never seen a better police story. Very good. 80%. (11.01.2015)