Superb cast of characters who evolve in the French police (drug squad, then life in a police station, then back to the drug squad) of the nineties where the lack of means is obvious, where doing one's job seems ubiquitous.
A story full of lives, dramas, hardships, led by Didier Bezace, a policeman with a highly developed network of informants who cannot do his job without his informants. The line between the police and the lawless is sometimes very thin. Bertrand Tavernier shows at the same time the humanity of the policemen, the humanity of their "clients", and of their informers. He points out the absurdity of a system that lacks resources and the absence of objectives for the teams (or else ridiculous objectives).
The cast is great. The characters are well written: the script manages to give them substance and characterize them very quickly. The film is exciting by its permanent balance between realism, drama and desperate humor. A masterpiece.
A story full of lives, dramas, hardships, led by Didier Bezace, a policeman with a highly developed network of informants who cannot do his job without his informants. The line between the police and the lawless is sometimes very thin. Bertrand Tavernier shows at the same time the humanity of the policemen, the humanity of their "clients", and of their informers. He points out the absurdity of a system that lacks resources and the absence of objectives for the teams (or else ridiculous objectives).
The cast is great. The characters are well written: the script manages to give them substance and characterize them very quickly. The film is exciting by its permanent balance between realism, drama and desperate humor. A masterpiece.