28/06/2011

Shooting will start next Monday in Paris on Italian director Michele Placido’s French production Le Guetteur (“The Lookout”), starring Daniel Auteuil and Mathieu Kassovitz (photo).

The director of Crime Novel [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michele Placido
film profile] and Angel of Evil [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (to be released in France on August 24) is delving back into the world of gangsters for a film "about western decadence and the eternal struggle between good and evil", which he says is inspired by Michael Mann’s Heat. The cast also includes Belgian actor Olivier Gourmet, Francis Renaud, Nicolas Briançon and Arly Jover, and Italian thesps Luca Argentero and Violante Placido.

In the film, co-scripted by Cédric Melon and Denis Brusseaux, detective Mattei (Auteuil) is about to arrest a notorious gang of bank robbers, when a lone marksman (Kassovitz) hiding on the rooftops guns down an army of cops, enabling his accomplices to escape.

Unfortunately, one of them is seriously injured and the rest of their plan is jeopardised. A manhunt is launched.

Produced by Fabio Conversi for Babe Films with Ran Entertainment as executive co-producer, Le Guetteur is also co-produced by France 2 Cinéma and StudioCanal. The latter will handle French theatrical distribution and international sales.

Pre-bought by Canal+ and Ciné+, the film also has backing from the Ile-de-France region, where shooting will take place until September 9.

(Translated from French)