La Balance Reviews

American expatriate director Bob Swaim puts a decidedly Parisian spin on Hollywood gangster conventions. One-time mobster Dede (Philippe Leotard) and prostitute Nicole (Nathalie Baye) play a power game with sleazy cops who are pressuring them to turn snitch. The couple are trying to live quietly on the money she earns from the street, but cop Palouzi (Richard Berry) is less concerned with their struggles than he is with busting a crime ring headed by a former associate of Dede's. If Dede cooperates, the police will leave him and Nicole alone. Unfortunately for Dede, he doesn't like the idea of being a stoolie or winding up dead. There are some nice moments here--the colorful opening sequence and an unlikely traffic jam shootout that results in a cop's Walkman stopping a bullet--but it all adds up to reasonably stylish pulp without much thought behind it. Warmly received by French audiences, LA BALANCE garnered a number of Cesars, including one for Best Picture.