Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Holstra Boring, long, and too preachy.

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Scotty Burke It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

gergelyh-15596 This film seems to me strangely overrated here. The story is promising indeed but not very well executed. All the people, especially the evil ones, act mechanically here -- even the sinful SM orgy is done apathetically, like some boring work routine. The weakest part is Raphaelle's character, very underwritten and Chiara Mastroianni cannot compensate for this either. She should be deeply content and at the same time desperate in the role of maitresse/mother, should be very beautiful and exciting (what she is not, she's not ugly but worn out) to explain even a cold affection from the part of the demanding M. Laporte and Marco's un-tactical fit of passion in the end. There should be chemistry between her and Marco from the beginning, but we do not see that and her involvement with him feels totally unfounded. Actually they seem to feel awkwardly when together, even their lovemaking is hard to watch, rough but not passionate and hardly the source of emotional satisfaction she must have missed with Laporte... Even her life with her son lacks any vitality, we could as well look at two customers in a furniture store. Theoretically we know what she is expected to feel -- or the suspenseful ending would not be believable - - but it is only a cold knowledge.Cinematography is surprisingly bad sometimes: the way the important car crash is filmed usually can be seen in very old and very low-budget movies only. The good parts: Vincent Lindon tries his best, he feels genuine in this hard role. Music is more than adequate. Plus the vintage Alfa Romeo, well, *that* is a masterpiece.

LeCadavreExquis The three female characters in Claire Denis' willfully obscure – visually as well morally, but also plot-wise - spin on the often exploitative genre of the revenge film, look eerily alike. Much to the confusion of some viewers, but there's a thematic reasoning behind this casting choice. Before I delve further into this, I'd like to consider the generic conventions of the revenge film and how they relate to Les Salauds. Convention dictates that a male protagonist, a lone wolf, returns to what is often his home town to avenge some evil done to his family or someone that was once close to him where institutionalized authority – police, justice – has failed. Although often not without moral ambiguity usually there's a sense of exploitative glorification of violence inherent to the genre's an eye for an eye ethics. In Les Salauds however the violence is dimly lit, often clumsy – not unlike a real fight. There are no one punch knock-outs, or drawn out choreography, just awkward, quickly dissolving scuffles that leave the chain-smoking protagonist gasping for air.As is illustrated by her depiction of violence Denis' film can admittedly be described within the vague generic outlines of the revenge film, but she skillfully uses its tropes to tell a story that is much more morally complex, that raises more questions than it answers - for the male protagonist as well as the audience - but even more so she uses this intrinsically male narrative and retells it by foregrounding the feminine characters. Marco has fled from the world of femininity leaving behind his wife, sister, daughters, niece and a family business of women's (!) shoes. After returning to his past he's never able to clearly see what he's gotten himself into - the truth is as obscure as the film's visual style – and his actions are motivated by the connection he has to the three main female characters.What binds these women – as a group, but in a sense also as individuals – is their passivity. Yet their submissiveness is not unambiguous, as they make a more or less deliberate choice to subjugate themselves to a dominant male. Their relationship to the males is, albeit somewhat masochistically, to a degree symbiotic. Although the motives of every character in this film are murky and veiled, the viewer can infer what the women have to gain from their position of passiveness: a glamorous lifestyle and a child that's well taken care of (Raphalle), the possibility to attribute your downfall and moral failure as a mother to the (absent) male other (Sandra), or the hazy seduction of amorous and druggy transgressions (Justine).If these women act, running away or even if they fire a gun – which could be considered the ultimate act – they do so to ultimately solidify their position of dependence on some male 'salaud', bastard.

westsideschl A rambling script that jumps so often from one person to another; one scene to another; one plot structure to another that you're left wondering if this is a story or an exercise in the writers/director being enamored with their cleverness. The inconclusive and illogical, abrupt ending is further proof of the film makers' self-absorption. Excessive use of flash backs and constant, shifting brief moments with each character leaves the viewer caring less about the principal vehicle - the life of a young girl in a prostituting environment. I usually have high regards for French film studios efforts, especially with their crime/thriller movies, but in this case ... Final verdict - who cares!

Hellmant 'BASTARDS': Three Stars (Out of Five) Disturbing and confusing French crime drama film from director Claire Denis. It stars Vincent Lindon, Chiara Mastroianni, Julie Bataille, Lola Créton and Michel Subor. It was written by Denis and Jean-Pol Fargeau and tells the tale of a sea captain who goes AWOL to investigate his brother-in-law's suicide and protect his sister and niece from an evil businessman. I found the modern day film noir look and style of the movie to be interesting but didn't care at all for it's disjointed storytelling. I had no idea what was going on most of the time and still don't understand much of the film.Lindon stars as Marco, a sea captain who goes AWOL and returns home to Paris when he learns his brother-in-law committed suicide. His sister Sandra (Bataille) believes a wealthy businessman, named Edouard Laporte (Subor), was responsible for her husband's death. Marco moves into the building of Laporte's mistress, Raphaëlle (Chiara Mastroianni), in order to investigate Laporte and becomes involved with Raphaëlle, who wants to protect her son (from Laporte) at any cost. Marco desperately wants to protect his sister and her teenaged daughter, Justine (Créton), as well.The film was inspired by current sex ring scandals involving rich men and has received lots of rave reviews for it's director and criticism of capitalism. I like it's commentary on society but it's a tad too dark and disturbing for me to enjoy much. I can still respect movies like this but the way the story is told all out of order is far too confusing for the average viewer (and me). I don't think making your film impossible to follow is a good way to make movies but I did like the look and style of the film and think the director and actors show a lot of talent in it.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAydMPYt0Hs