The Emperor of Paris
Release date: 2018-12-19
Votes: 518
Genres: Drama, Crime, Thriller
Paris, France, early 19th century. The legendary convict François Vidocq lives in disguise trying to escape from a tragic past that torments him. When, after an unfortunate event, he crosses paths with the police chief, he makes a bold decision that will turn the ruthless mastermind of the Parisian underworld against him.
Reviews
CinemaSerf
“Vidocq” (Vincent Cassel) is thriving amidst the underworld of Napoleonic France but having been wrongly convicted of murder and escaped from captivity, is keen to go straight and earn an amnesty from the government. That might be possible, but for that to happen he is going to have to co-operate with the embryonic Sûreté and help track down some insurgents. Needless to say, when rumours start to flow that he has turned his coat, the fraternity that was once his safe source of his anonymity now starts to make his life even more dangerous than his new task. Historically, this has it’s roots in an actual man who was instrumental in setting up a French national police force, but as this goes, we are presented with a great looking drama that’s really lacking in depth or characterisation. Save for a few potent appearances from Fabrice Luchini as the cynically duplicitous minister Fouché, the underused but still useful August Diehl’s duplicitous Nathanaël and an enthusiastic effort from James Thiérrée as the dashing, cavalier-like Duc de Neufchâteau it’s all a rather pedestrian affair that seems to imbue Vidocq with a certain degree of implausible immortality. Perhaps it is just simply trying to condense too much history into two hours but we never seem to get to know any of these folk; to get even the most basic understanding of what drove them nor of how precarious the whole French empire was at the time. It also tries too hard to involve us in half-cooked internecine plots that aren’t properly explained or put into context, and so might as well be a few stand alone (and sometimes quite repetitive) episodes of “The Three Musketeers” meets “The Count of Monte Cristo”. Cassel does own the part and the production designers and the armourers have done a great job creating a dark and gritty environment for this history to unfold, but believe it or not it can almost verge on the dull at times. There’s a solid ensemble cast backing things up, but it’s ultimately a bit of a meringue of a story - lots of topping but not much underneath.
Movie Recommendation
The Thompsons2012-08-21On the run with the law on their trail, America's most anguished vampire family heads to England to find an ancient vampire clan. What they find instead could tear their family, and their throats, apart forever.More...
Ayka2018-02-14A young Kyrgyz immigrant tries to eke out a living in Moscow after abandoning her newborn and fleeing the hospital.More...
This Is Paris2020-09-14Meet the real Paris Hilton for the very first time as she embarks on a journey of healing and reflection, reclaiming her true identity along the way.More...
Grand Froid2017-06-28In a small town lost in the middle of nowhere, Edmond Zweck's funeral business is on the wing. The company now has only two employees: Georges, Zweck's right-hand man, and Eddy, a young man still a novice in the trade. One fine morning, however, a dead man pointed his nose. Hope is born again. Georges and Eddy are responsible for leading the deceased to his last abode. But in search of the cemetery that can not be found, the funeral convoy goes astray and the journey turns into a fiasco.More...
Belmondo, itinéraire...2011-05-18Documentary on the career of Jean-Paul Belmondo.More...
Les Inconnus - La Totale ! (Vol. 3)2017-08-02There is no descriptionMore...
Fire Down Below1957-05-30Tony and Felix own a tramp boat, and sail around the Caribbean doing odd jobs and drinking a lot. They agree to ferry the beautiful but passportless Irena to another island. They both fall for her, leading to betrayal and a break-up of their partnership. Tony takes a job on a cargo ship. After a collision he finds himself trapped below deck with time running out (the ship is aflame), and only Felix, whom he hates and has sworn to kill, left to save him.More...
The Ideal Palace2019-01-16Follows Joseph Ferdinand Chavel a French postman who built a palace in the French countryside over 33 years.More...
Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street2019-04-05Mark Patton sets the records straight about the controversial 1985 sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street, which ended his acting career, just as it was about to begin.More...
The Huntress: Rune of the Dead2022-07-21When Runa’s father disappears on a viking journey she steps up as head of her family, but she is tormented by strange nightmares. One day when she is out hunting, she stumbles across a wounded warrior who carries news of her father, new that seem connected to her dreams. Something is coming for them, something vile.More...
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts2017-05-15After encountering a group of bandits with plans to rape and steal from her, a young widow ventures into the wilderness in search of justice.More...
The Housekeeper2002-11-13After his wife leaves him for another man, Jacques hires a housekeeper, Laura, to keep his Paris apartment in order. As he starts increasing her hours and spending more time with her on her days off, Jacques is torn between the pleasure of Laura's company, and the headache that such an intrusion brings to his new domain of singlehood.More...
The Snows of Kilimanjaro2011-11-16A union pensioner and his wife are robbed, but find that merely getting the assailants brought to justice is not enough for their consciences.More...
Vault2019-07-25A group of small time criminals in 1975 attempt to pull off the biggest heist in American history; stealing over $30 million from the Mafia in the smallest state in the union, Rhode Island.More...
Fanny2013-07-10"Fanny" is the second part of the "Marseille trilogy", made by Marcel Pagnol with the generic name of "Marius, Fanny and César". Fanny falls in love and is abandoned by Marius. Now she discovers she is pregnant. Her mother and Marius's father, César, persuade her to accept the romantic advances of a much older man. To save face, Fanny accepts to marry Honoré Panisse, a rich merchant of the Vieux Port, 30 years her senior who will recognize her son.More...
Undercover Blues1993-09-10When fun-loving American agents Jeff and Jane Blue are called back from maternity leave for a special assignment in New Orleans, the spy parents decide to skip the sitter and give their bouncing baby girl the adventure of a lifetime.More...
Lacombe, Lucien1974-01-30In Louis Malle's lauded drama, Lucien Lacombe is a young man living in rural France during World War II who seeks to join the French Resistance. When he is rejected due to his youth, the resentful Lucien allies himself with the Nazis and joins the Gallic arm of their Gestapo. Lucien grows to enjoy the power that comes with his position, but his life is complicated when he falls for France Horn, a beautiful young Jewish woman.More...
The Dinner Guest2007-09-19Fifty years old, three years past of unemployment, benefits decreasing very quickly... Gerard is at the end of the rope when a position is offered him in Indonesia. To win the favor of his new employer, Gerard invites him to dinner at home. Fatal Error ! Terrified at the idea of not being up to par, his wife Colette begs Alexandre, their neighbor to help. Communication guru, Alexander accepts the challenge and gives a makeover to the couple in twenty-four hours. Apartment, decoration, lifestyle, dinner menu, uniforms, culture... Everything !More...
The Importance of Being Earnest1952-06-02Two young gentlemen living in 1890s England use the same pseudonym ('Ernest') on the sly, which is fine until they both fall in love with women using that name, which leads to a comedy of mistaken identities.More...
Babylon 5: Thirdspace1998-07-17Susan Ivanova discovers a derelict spaceship in hyperspace. They tow it back to Babylon 5, then strange things start happening. People are being telepathically taken over by aliens from another (third)space.More...
Similar Movies
Mr. Nobody
2009-11-06Nemo Nobody leads an ordinary existence with his wife and 3 children; one day, he wakes up as a mortal centenarian in the year 2092.The Accidental Touris...
1988-12-23After the death of his son, travel writer Macon Leary seems to be sleep walking through life. Macon's wife is having similar problems. They separate, and Macon meets a strange, outgoing woman who brings him 'back down to earth', but his wife soon thinks their marriage is still worth another try.The Wave
1981-10-04A teacher conducts an experiment in an American high school where students learn how easy it is to be seduced by the same social forces which led to the horrors of Nazi Germany.The Kill Team
2019-10-17When Andrew Briggman — a young soldier in the US Army during the invasion of Afghanistan — witnesses the murderous behavior of fellow soldiers, under the direction of a malevolent Sergeant, he faces a moral dilemma. His increasingly-violent platoon becomes suspicious that someone in their ranks has turned on them, and Andrew begins to fear for his safety. A fictionalized dramatization based on a true story.As Verdades
2022-06-30A police officer tries to find out who is to blame for a crime committed against a candidate for mayor of a small town. He hears versions of a hired killer, the victim's fiancée, and the candidate himself.Sweeney Todd: The Dem...
2014-09-26In 1846, Anthony Hope sails into London with the mysterious Sweeney Todd, a once-naive barber whose life and marriage was uprooted by a corrupt justice system. Todd confides in Nellie Lovett, the owner of a local meat pie shop, and the two become partners, as Todd swears revenge on those that have wronged him and decides to take up his old profession.War and Peace
1968-04-28The love story of young Countess Natasha Rostova and Count Pierre Bezukhov is interwoven with the Great Patriotic War of 1812 against Napoleon's invading army.Golden Youth
2019-01-16Paris, France, 1979. Rose, a rebellious orphaned teenager, and Michel, a young aspiring painter, enjoy their crazy love under the neon lights of the decadent nightclub Le Palace, where they establish an ambiguous relationship with Lucille and Hubert, two bohemian bourgeois who will change their lives.Mrs. Soffel
1984-12-26Kate Soffel is married to a prison warden in Pittsburgh, and is the mother of their four children. Ed Biddle is a convicted murderer awaiting execution on death row with his brother Jack. When Kate meets Eddie through her Bible readings to the prisoners, she is drawn to him, and they pursue a clandestine relationship. She agrees to help the brothers escape, and begins a treacherous journey with them to freedom in Canada.Played
2006-05-19An examination of the malevolent London underworld with it's despicable criminal underground. Ray (Mick Rossi) just finished an eight year prison sentence after getting set up. Now he is back on the streets to settle the score.Freeway Killer
2009-11-04For years he terrorized California motorists as he rode the endless highways searching for his next victim. The discarded bodies turned up beaten, sexually assaulted and horribly mutilated. Deceptively charming and intelligent, the scheming murderer easily avoided police at first. But as police closed in and the killer’s pattern grew more erratic, the only question was how many more will die?Jamaica Inn
1939-05-11In early 19th-century Cornwall, young Mary Yellan travels to live with her aunt and uncle at the remote Jamaica Inn, where she discovers the inn is a front for a violent gang of wreckers who lure ships to their doom along the coast. As she becomes entangled in their crimes, Mary must fight to survive and uncover the truth behind the terror that haunts the moors.The Idiots
No data for this movieFyodor Dostoyevsky and his wife Anna travel to Europe for their honeymoon and end up staying in a health resort in Switzerland, only to return to Russia after four years. Fyedya can’t shake his roulette habit and keeps losing their money. His wife accepts this fate since he keeps assuring her that it’s all for inspiration and soon he shall write his to-be masterpiece, 'The Idiot'.The Fabiani Affair
1962-01-24The tale of the famous vendetta, vengeance over the years between two families. For nearly nothing at the start, as always with Sicilians or Corsican people, from the underworld or not...Green Book
2018-11-16Tony Lip, a bouncer in 1962, is hired to drive pianist Don Shirley on a tour through the Deep South in the days when African Americans, forced to find alternate accommodations and services due to segregation laws below the Mason-Dixon Line, relied on a guide called The Negro Motorist Green Book.Manson: Summer of Blo...
2024-03-25In the final, terrifying chapter of the most infamous crime of the 20th century, a dying Charles Manson is offered a chance to repent for his crimes, revealing horrific, never-before-seen details about the Sharon Tate murders—as well as a shocking twist.The Black Windmill
1974-05-17A British agent's son is kidnapped and held for a ransom of diamonds. The agent finds out that he can't even count on the people he thought were on his side to help him, so he decides to track down the kidnappers himself.Hope and Glory
1987-09-03A middle-aged man recalls his childhood growing up in and around London during World War II.Anna Karenina
1948-01-22In Imperial Russia, Anna, wife of the officer Karenin, goes to Moscow to visit her brother. On the way, she meets charming cavalry officer Vronsky, to whom she's immediately attracted. But in St. Petersburg’s high society, a relationship like this could destroy a woman’s reputation.The Devil, Probably
1977-06-15Charles drifts through politics, religion and psychoanalysis, rejecting them all. Once he realises the depth of his disgust with the moral and physical decline of the society he lives in, he decides that suicide is the only option...