Infamousta brilliant actors, brilliant editing

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

K-Slicer I have read the posted comments on the website and I found they are all from Canada. It goes to show that many interesting films are never outside the country of their origin. I came across "Un zoo la nuit" in the suspense section of a local video store and it appeared to haven't been rented in some time. The cover was beyond deceptive because I saw a woman on it who was screaming and the title "NIGHT ZOO" in bold red caps. I usually take a chance on watching many different movies and this is one I do recommend on some level and here are my reasons (spoilers herein).(1) Gilles Maheu and Roger Lebel portrayed the father and son in probably the most realistic father-and-son relationship that I have ever played out on screen. It was shockingly deep considering the negative events surrounding it. (2) Marcel's (played by Gilles Maheu) interaction's with his ex-girlfriend Julie were plotted and written correctly. I think if that angle had been explored more, it would have stolen very much from the film. (3) When it comes to being realistic, I think this film shatters the good guy-bad guy stereotypes and how they interact. Marcel is threatened by a rather unsavory pair of cops and one of them cuts him in the face with a switchblade and beats Marcel with a garbage can when Marcel tries to retaliate. No special effects or explosives needed there. (4) I liked the mixture of English and French speech used in the dialogue. The dialogue wasn't hokey or forced at all. (5) My favorite scene was the shoot-out between Marcel, his friend from prison, and the two cops. It wasn't a typical action sequence at all. (6) There a small scattering of humor throughout the film so it didn't seem so utterly hopeless. (7) The feel of the film to me dealt mostly with loss and I felt the cinematography and musical score backed that aspect rather well. (8) This was a rather stunning debut from Jean-Claude Lauzon. His writing and direction were (considering the times) definitely out there talentwise and I think that is grounds to for award consideration. He took home two of his own Genie awards for both writing and direction. Eight reasons give this film a score of eight.What robs this film of a perfect score is the gross nature of some scenes. I nearly wanted to gag when Marcel was raped at the beginning. I guess the material was needed to show how negative this film actually is. There is no shortage of misery and I call viewers to beware this film if they don't have a strong stomach. The other reason was the zoo scene where the elephant was shot. I actually thought that elephant had been killed inside of its cage. I am not anti-hunting but I don't believe shooting a caged animal is right unless it needs to be euthanized. If you are an animal lover, shut your eyes when you get to that scene.Overall, I found "Un zoo la nuit" to be a rather watchable film. It is perfect for a movie fiend looking for something completely different. Despite a few nasty and misery-laden scenes, it is perfect for anytime viewing. Here ends my rant!

raychenier In my opinions of course...This film is to be appreciated by those with a bit of insight (or at least a desire to experience different things), an open mind, and sick of same old predictable script hollywood cr*p. If hollywood is your basis for comparison, Un Zoo la Nuit will either enrich your understanding of what movies should be, or show you that you should stick to with hollywood flicks. Not that hollywood doesn't put out good movies. It's just finding that one in a few hundred movies that winds up being a gem.Un Zoo la Nuit is a depiction of deceit, drugs, and dysfunctional human relationships. The father/son relationship is classic, sad. Some scenes are extremely memorable (of course the prison rape scene isn't, but things like that do happen in that real world out there). This movie is not brain dead, it might make you think about your situation and of those around you... The son's emotions of love and compassion come through clearly with his father and you are forced to feel for that relationship. The relationship takes a surrealistic twist when it becomes clear no time is left to catch up. However, the son remains a crook and a murderer.There are no good guys in this movie. Not the stuff of hollywood.What hollywood did to the original versions of Nikita and The Vanishing, just as a couple of examples, should be enough to turn anyone off. When Pacino kills Deniro at the end of Heat, it's just plain wrong!!! :)If you want something that is even more outside the box than Un Zoo la Nuit, check out the recent Maelstom with Croze. Keep an open mind with the fish... But again, a realistic and honest view at real humans.

swan_pr ...Even in death. This movie is more than anything anyone can tell you about it. It is not a cop-action movie, not a sociological study, nor an emotional drama. What you will find yourself watching is what you want to really see. But what mostly comes through, however the director gets there, is the love lost between a father and a son. The father having never questioned his love for his son, the son never having thought about his love for his father. They come together after events in the son's life that could be any other hardship a man goes through in his life. This time it's prison.So the premice is not that original... So the treatment is a bit artsy. But the emotions that flare up between the two men are stronger than the story line, and the acting is what makes it all seem so close to home. The fear of rejection that parents feel when they see their child become an adult, and the feelings of being controlled by their parents, that adults still feel because they haven't grown up yet.A wonderful movie, powerful, simple in it's message but complex in it's meaning. I would pay anytime to watch it again!

Rovin I saw this film in a Canadian university film history class(where they made us watch lots of Canadian movies you would never pay to see). The teacher told us that this film proves that Canada can make a Hollywood-style cop-action flick.I can only assume he was joking. This was a convoluted, out-of-touch-with-society mess. It starts out with the main character getting raped by an inmate--then we see him engage in a near pornographic display with a hooker. It becomes down right hokey near the end when(SPOILER WARNING)the main character's father suffers a heart attack and is being rushed to the hospital and the young man is chasing after it...Then we have the zoo incident. The father and son decide to go moose hunting so they can experience the good ol days. If this was meant to be a tender scene it sure didnt make me sympathetic to them. They cant find a moose in the city so they go to the Zoo--and decide to shoot an elephant instead. The way the elephant "lies down" was pathetic and fake-looking--and I dont see how shooting a caged animal is going to generate any more sympathy from the audience than if they had gone into the forest to shoot a moose--but that's a Canadian film for you. Strange social customs. I'll take a formula Hollywood cop-buddy flick over this any day.