Dobermann (1997)

As long as I've been watching Vincent Cassel movies, I've always been curious about Dobermann. There was something about it that always stuck in my mind, like as if i remember it being set-apart in the media that it caused any uproar but i don't think that happened. The other weird thing for me is I was convinced this came out in 1993-94, when it was definitely 1997. There is a crucial difference of being inspirational and being inspired by, in the case of this film.
Now I like it; it's kinetic, brash, cinematic and entertaining. It's an ambitious feature debut from a visionary action director.
BUT... it would have been so much more remarkable if Jan Kounen had made it 4years before he did. Because now it just looks like a rip-off of an early Rodriguez or Álex de la Iglesia movie in French. Maybe this is unfair baggage to put on the film.
It all started in my mind, when i was watching it and watching Tchéky Karyo do his french Bad Lieutenant bit and the thought occurred to me that Michael Bay must have seen it at put him in Bad Boys(1) because of how great he is as this sick, corrupt cop. But Bad Boys was '94. So now it's like lets put Tchéky in this because he was coming off Bad Boys. So there's that but as the film continues there's things like that the music and style of the film. There's only one licenced song in the film and that's The Prodigy's Voodoo People and everyone is dressed in what looks like Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture.  The film has that day-goofy filter effect pervading everything. There's even explicitly put-up posters for Trainspotting and The Usual Suspects!
Look, i'm a Tarantino apologist-I'm into wearing your influences on your sleeve but reference a whole year's culture 4years later! I'm sad to say but it just looks like you were late to marketplace. Also one of the sets looks like it was borrowed from Barb Wire. Argh. Ignore me, these things probably bother no-one else or give it a second thoughts but i can't help it. It would be like if i brought a book out in 2014, about a shy magical orphan vampire with glasses who falls in love with a pale white girl tattooed hacker in upstate Washington, who's mutual best friend was ginger... and a Transformer. Even if it was well-made, which this is, it would still seem completely derivative.
Anyway Cassel is awesome as always, Monica Bellucci is at her height of oozing sexual sexy sex and Tchéky Karyo is good value in this and Kounen is a great director and i noticed that he never made a similar film to this but I really want to see more of this films, they all look really facinating for different reasons.

I watched Dobermann (1997) on DVD, via LoveFilm.
My 2011 in Movies will return with Chico and Rita (2010)...