Sony Pictures Classics
Foreign films can be a hard sell to American audiences. Dubbed movies have almost gone the way of the dodo, thankfully, but subtitled films seem to appeal only to snooty movie critics and a very select audience (unless you’re a The Passion of the Christ). So it’s not unusual for a foreign film — even if by foreign we mean just north of the US border — to tool around the country, opening in very limited release city by city in the space of a year. That appears to be the case of The Fall of the American Empire, the latest film by French Canadian director Denys Arcand.
The story follows a hapless delivery man, Pierre-Paul, a wannabe philospher stuck in a dead end job with only a set of bad knees in his future. Pierre-Paul also volunteers at a homeless shelter, actually more concerned about the plight of his fellow man — especially the indiginous people of Canada — than himself. A conversation with one of the clients of the charity leads to the idea that Providence will come to those who do good things. Not long after, Pierre-Paul makes a delivery stop and stumbles into a robbery gone wrong, nearly caught in a crossfire that leaves two men dead, one injured and on the run, and two large travel bags full of money. We’re talking millions of dollars. Providence seems to have fallen into Pierre-Paul’s lap and before the cops arrive he stashes the two bags into his delivery truck. But what next?
The cash belongs to a local mobster who claims to know nothing of the heist, but his American partners (nor the police) seem to believe him. A well-known convict, Sylvain ‘The Brain’ Bigras, who knows a thing or two about how to handle hot money is just released from prison so Pierre-Paul seeks his advice, as Bigras has been taking financial planning classes while in prison, on how to keep the money safe from the mob and the authorities by using off-shore banking. But before the pair can do anything, Pierre-Paul takes advantage of his newfound wealth by hiring an expensive call girl — the most expensive in Quebec — because of her own philosophical website. That transaction sets off alarm bells with the police who now believe Pierre-Paul is in possession of the missing cash and need to prove he — and now everyone he’s dragged into his little caper — has the money. Arcand weaves a clever tale of banking, tax shelters, fake charities and good deeds as a way of moving the cash around and keeping it safe from the government.
I’m a bit familiar with Arcand’s films, notably The Barbarian Invasions, and I was expecting a more somber affair with this one. The film is really a dark comedy with the nerdy hero, the ex-con and the hooker with a heart of gold … something pretty stereotypical from an American heist movie (and how long before some American studio decides to remake this?). Judging from his past credits, Alexandre Landry is typically playing much more macho characters than he is here, but he is perfect as the nerdy guy who sees a bigger plan for his life while resigned to that plan never coming to fruition. And he manages to keep his cool when that money falls into his lap. Landry gives a very winning performance.
Maripier Morin is lovely as Aspasie, the high class prostitute (whose real name is Camille). She knows that from the moment she visits Pierre-Paul as her client and the police show up — not to mention the drawer full of money in his apartment — that she’s going to be dragged into something, but Pierre-Paul was so charming and unlike her other clients that she couldn’t help falling for him. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s very well-connected and is able to assist him with what to do with the money. Morin, who is well-known in Quebec as a TV host and Deal or No Deal breifcase model, is delightful here and her chemistry with Landry keeps you rooting for the two of them to get and stay together after this caper is completed.
Rémy Girard, who has worked with Arcand in the past, is also terrific as the gruff ex-con who just wants to go straight … even though he knows that no prison degree in financial planning is going to land him a job in the real world. He’s sometimes harsh with Pierre-Paul, a bit of a smartass at times, but he knows his stuff and once he understands what Pierre-Paul plans to do with the money, he’s more than willing to help perhaps because while you can take the con out of prison, you can’t take the con out of the con.
The film has almost a throwaway side plot with the gangster Vladimir François that ends rather abruptly and seems to serve no purpose to the main plot other than clearing away an obstacle for the money. Maxim Roy and Louis Morissette play the detectives who always seem to be two steps behind Pierre-Paul until they get a jump on him and his accomplices that sets hearts pounding as the film rushes towards its climax. The story does end on what seems to be a hopeful note … and then Arcand delivers a devestating gut-punch that brings us back around to the subject that started the story, presenting a series of images that put a face to the plight of those overlooked and under-served people. You get lost in the charms of the story and the characters but then you are hit with this moment and it is very powerful and unforgettable.
The Fall of the American Empire is in French with subtitles, although there are a couple of scenes in English and they never felt jarring. I didn’t even notice that I wasn’t reading subtitles by that point.
The Fall of the American Empire has a run time of 2 hours 7 minutes and is rated R for some strong violence, sexual content/nudity and language.
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