Le Petit Lieutenant (2006)
79 %
Reviews Counted: 52 Fresh: 41 Rotten:11 Average Rating: 6.9/10
Consensus:
A gritty, languidly paced crime drama that blends old-fashioned ambiance with modern cynicism.
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Theatrical Release: Sep 8, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: A gripping police noir, Le Petit Lieutenant tells the story of Antoine, an ambitious young cop from the provinces who joins a plainclothes crime unit in Paris. Antoine spends his days eagerly awaiting his first assignment, drinking with his fellow detectives, and developing an unlikely... [More]
Genre: Foreign Films
Starring: Jalil Lespert, Nathalie Baye, Roschdy Zem, Antoine Chappey, Jacques Perrin
Director: Xavier Beauvois
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Comment
Lieutenant is a sly act of provocation, a repudiation of American filmmaking technique and of near-universal attitudes about cinematic violence.
05/07/07
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04/12/07
Gives the audience a strong sense that you're watching how things really go down in a police station... only without all the action and excitement of a TV cop show.
03/24/07
To cut to the chase...this is a very French, understated, intelligent, slow, police procedural that ultimately engrosses and then surprises the viewer. If you don't see it in a theater, it would be a great rental.
03/20/07
A quiet powerhouse of a film, an implacable, uncompromising French police drama, both old-fashioned and modern, that underlines the reasons impeccably made crime stories do so well on-screen.
03/16/07
As a portrayal of the angst that permeates most police work...certainly a success. As drama, however, it's far from riveting.
03/03/07
Still mourning the end of Helen Mirren in TV's Prime Suspect? You might want to give Le Petit Lieutenant a whirl.
02/15/07
Le Petit Lieutenant shows how good French movies can be when they stay French and don't try to go international.
02/08/07
Top Critic
... you can sense Baye's struggling within the limits imposed on her.
01/26/07
Top Critic
Basically a vivid meal of characters, plus coffee and wine and one gin tonic, Le Petit Lieutenant keeps true to its brasserie menu.
01/19/07
The film's plot, revolving around a murder investigation that turns nasty, ticks along smoothly and efficiently. But it's ultimately more of a character drama, and a reminder that great acting often has little to do with words.
01/19/07
Top Critic
Beauvois makes the milieu his own, too, showing us credible and affecting human beings caught up in a world that often reveals humanity at its worst.
01/11/07
Top Critic
The movie's realism is unimpeachable, though American cops might be stunned by the idea of a half-dozen detectives being assigned to the murder of an anonymous floater.
01/11/07
Top Critic
... one that will likely earn more respect from viewers than it will passion.
12/30/06
...More than any film in recent memory, Le Petit Lieutenant conveys the relentless toll of big-city police work.
12/15/06
Top Critic
Just as the French may overrate our cinema (Jerry Lewis, anyone?), we may overrate theirs. Take Le Petit Lieutenant -- please.
12/15/06
Top Critic
Has a clipped, Bressonian quality that makes it frustrating but also increasingly fascinating.
12/14/06
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