Dec 11, 2018
Hi everyone!
Welcome back to the podcast, as we get caught up on the recent Netflix Original offerings posted in the last couple weeks, this time from France. For a few other recent French Netflix Originals, check out “Blockbuster” (Episode #026), “I Am Not An Easy Man” (Episode #110), “To Each Her Own” (Episode #199), “The Crew” (Episode #321), and a recent favorite, “Nothing to Hide” (Episode #336). And if you have any suggestions from the French film scene, let me know at onemoviepunch.com or reach out over social media.
And now...
Today’s movie is “The World is Yours” (2018), the Netflix Original French crime comedy, directed by Romain Gavras and adapted to the screen in collaboration with Karim Boukercha and Noé Debré. The film follows Farès (Karim Leklou), a Parisian drug dealer who wants to get out of the game, and is forced to take on one final job before doing so. However, when things start to go wrong, he turns to his mother Danny (Isabelle Adjani), despite every reason not to.
Spoilers ahead.
I love when films find the perfect tone, complimenting the story, and brought to life by a combination of direction, performances, sets, score, and soundtrack. Everything resonates on the same frequency, strengthening the engagement of the viewer, and creating the greatest of all film emotions, anticipation. It’s the harder way to create anticipation, maybe the hardest way for a crime film with yet another “one last job” premise. And yet, “The World is Yours” does just that, elevating the overused premise with a smart story, excellent characters, and consistent composition driven by an infectious musical score and soundtrack from Sebastian Akchoté and Jamie XX. A crime film for crime fans.
“The World is Yours” is driven largely by the failings of its characters. Farés has dreams of pursuing a legitimate business opportunity and a normal life, away from the life of crime he was born into. He’s probably the most level-headed character, but also places too much trust into the people around him, which places his promising business opportunity into jeopardy. Isabelle Adjani is hilarious as Danny, who has gambled away money Farés was saving for his escape. His older partner in crime, Henri (Vincent Cassel), can’t see a future outside of his life unless it’s romantically involved with Farés’ mother. And his love from another time, Lamya (Oulaya Amamra), seems to lack the ability to reciprocate Farés’ trust. A fun supporting cast creates a web that begins untangling itself during the final job, with a surprising showdown in a beachside resort town.
Romain Gavras takes a stylistic approach that echoes parts of Tarantino’s “Jackie Brown”, using grainy filters, muted colours, and most importantly, a killer soundtrack. Every transition in the film is exquisitely scored, crossing a number of genres to fit each moment, but somehow having a consistently washed out and retro feel. It doesn’t just look good, but sounds good, and the two elements create a feedback loop that creates the perfect tone. I was never quite sure where it was headed, but I was excited to get wherever it was going.
“The World is Yours” (2018) is an exquisitely crafted, dark comedy crime film, with a host of interesting characters and unexpected events. Romain Gavras elevates the “one last job” premise into something much more, bringing together all the elements into a stylish film, one that looks as good as it sounds. Crime fans, or dark comedy fans, should definitely check out this film, as well as anyone who is a fan of music.
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Metacritic: 74
One Movie Punch: 8.4/10
“The World is Yours” (2018) is rated TV-MA and is currently streaming on Netflix.