Alicia I love this movie so much

SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

dr_praetorius35 Along with "Le pacte des Loups", "Vidocq" can be spotted as the beginning of a french invasion in horror and fantastic genre. Viewing it 6 years after its first presentation on-screen, when French cinema has now produced such chillers as Haute Tension or L'intérieur, its easy to be impressed with the path the genre seems to follow in this most improbable country... Although Horror french movies are not ALL good, "Vidocq" is a prime example of a good and original piece of work coming from Moliere's land (and you should also pay close attention to the other movies named above...).While the story behind this gorgeous movie (every single frame is a "tableau") is pretty simple, there is much to love in this flick. All actors are quite good and every single characters is so well defined that, even with few words, the viewers can be delighted with their playing (Dussolier is especially good...). Costumes and settings are part of the fun here: with digital effects used with overwhelming intensity, Pitof have created a world that tap easily in our Gothic sensibility, yet the few historical events (the tensions between the people and the government is somehow palpable though we don't see much of it: it creates an ambiance of decadence that permeates every scenes) depicted here and there help keeping a strange aura of reality to this very improbable story... As I said: its clearly part of the fun...As the aforementioned simple story told before, Pitof edited his movie in a very energetic way, the scenes flowing easily from present to past and thus maintaining the viewer's interest. It helps that it begins with a Bang: the titular character being killed by the criminal (and what a criminal!) he is after in an industrial setting that could be hell (it simply have to be seen...). After that, a journalist, stating that he is Vidocq's official biograph, is searching for the truth: what happened to Vidocq and who killed him... And thus begin the darkest ride into the darkest sides of Paris ever filmed... with a satisfying punch in the end... This ending is good in a way that make the movie interesting to watch again in the lights of this very last information. Another interesting point: the story of Vidocq and his colleague Nimier, being told during the opening credit: keep your eyes open to read every newspaper's titles that goes here and there among the artisan's of this movie and you will have a complete fleshed out background for those characters...All and all, a very good and deliciously dark flick that would satisfy those weary of the mainstream horror cinema... This is not a film to read about. To fully experienced it, you have to see it... Believe me!

ernesti I thought that this movie could be very different from over the top American movies because it's french. Well i was a bit disappointed, because it's just too much over the top. The special effects are twice as beautiful than in American movies, this movie is just painting or an art in its own. Every scene is like an advertisement in television, and visually very intense and demanding to follow. Colours are vivid and they create a certain atmosphere.But what this movie succeeds in the visual side, it lacks in the deepness and in the story. The characters seem too shallow, the dialogue is very superficial from time to time. However when you adjust to the movie's different approach you can get a hold of it.I'm pretty puzzled over the fact that this movie has unnecessary action scenes. Really! It'd been more efficient if the bad guy with the mask had had a discussion with Vidocq than unrealistic fighting which we viewers are very accustomed to. Of course there should be fights, but this movie tries to be in the horror and action genre and it's just too lame because it'd been done too many times before.It's so much harder to make good and impressive dialogues between the bad guy and the hero than just generic fighting with special effects.This movie clearly isn't a horror movie, it's fantasy and thriller.I enjoyed this movie because of it's new approach to the visual side, it looks like a computer game. It's a pretty good and impressive movie if you don't analyze it all the time. "Plenty of cakes are beautiful from the surface.", i just can't avoid the feeling that this movie is just way too shallow.

Elin Johansson I have tried to find a horror/slasher/monster/ghost-movie that I like that isn't American since those films are so over-exposed all over the world, but it's not easy to find horror from other countries in Sweden. Sweden is a small country, so to make money, you gotta go for blockbusters over here. But, since Swedes are pretty serious and pretentious and artsy-fartsy when it comes to films and theater, we do get all things French, no matter if it's pornographic and stupid.I saw the commercial for this on another film I rented, and it looked rather old-fashioned and mystic, with good actors, so I had positive expectations. But, it has some of the most annoying visual effects I've seen, where complete skies and countrysides and buildings and characters are filled in with horrifically ugly results. The look of the movie is very much TV-production, which may be the aim, but still is ugly and makes the whole experience very small for such a large-scale story and fascinating old France. Then we have a hand-held-camera-attitude which just looks so pretentious, exactly like all those TV-courtroom-dramas where they move the camera around to create "tension", or nausea, whatever works for you. Only here, it's worse in that they make one bored. Cuts and closeups and wiggle shots, like drunk on a boat in a storm. The acting is good, as often in the case with French actors, and the story compelling and interesting.¨This could have been very good, with a less pretentious approach, as I said earlier.

bugsmith I've seen this movie through cable this afternoon. It was a real surprise. I admit I cannot get through the plot thoroughly since it was in French. But being a French movie is a real plus here. The story took place in 1830 France. The country was in disarray after repeated changes in government. The setting is dark and depressing. Everywhere you can see people are suffering. It's in their attitudes, their clothes, their environment. This is not something you will see in other movies of this period. Characters' movement are splendid, especially the Chinese/French woman whose name I forgot. Her movement makes this movie looks like art. I know that this movie is a horror film, but it's an artful horror. The plus side of being French is that it doesn't stick to the Hollywood-style horror. Its emphasis on emotions and audiences' feelings make this movie outstanding comparing to Hollywood's. Summay: This movie is definitely R (violence, nudity, I guess). So, it your are over 18, give it a try. You'll find it enjoyable even if you're not horror fan. However, if you dislike the genre, this one may not be powerful enough to change your mind.