Dark Portals: The Chronicles of Vidocq (2001)

Paris. 1830. When the infamous detective Vidocq disappears in the middle of a busy city nobody can explain the abduction. His archenemy the Alchemist the assassin Vidocq has been tracking is the prime suspect. However as the police continue to come up empty handed Vidocq's assistant Etienne his biographer takes the case into his own hands and delves into the underworld of Paris to find the missing detective.System Requirements:Running Time: 97 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS Rating: R UPC: 012236208006 Manufacturer No: 20801 Product Description

Above average, but not great combination of mystery and horror/fantasy

After French detective Vidocq (one of the historical figures whom Sherlock Holmes was based on, played here by Gerard Depardieu) is killed at the hands of the Alchemist, a killer who wears a mirrored mask and steals the souls of his victims, his young biographer Etienne (Guillaume Canet) decides to solve his murder as a final tribute to this great man. The story is told partially in flashbacks, with both Etienne and Vidocq (in the flashbacks) solving the same mystery "together".

"Dark Portals" is a stylish yet strange movie that may not appeal to all tastes. The film is directed by Pitof, a visual effects expert who graduated to directing, so the special effects in this film are incredible, as is the scenery, which appears to have been added by computer. The plot of this film is unusual - I don't want to say too much about it, so as not to give away too many of the plot twists, but the story combines mystery and horror/fantasy elements and as a result it can be viewed as either a mystery or as a horror film. I, personally, am not a fantasy fan, so didn't really like the fantasy elements all that much, but I am a big mystery fan and that was enough to keep me interested. The script of this film was co-written by Jean-Christophe Grange, who also wrote "The Crimson Rivers" and "The Empire of the Wolves", two of my favourite mystery novels, and although this is nowhere near as good as either of those books, and although it is a bit slow moving at times, it is still a decent story.

One thing that does let this film down is the acting, which felt amateurish to me. Even Depardieu, who had made over 100 movies prior to this one, seems wooden, and the less experienced actors are even worse. I suspect that this is the down side of having a technical expert as a director.

Overall, this is an above-average, but not great, film that is worth watching if you are looking for something different, but won't stay with you for long after the credits have finished rolling.
October 8, 2008

Simply great film!!!

One of the best action films of the last decade! This movie has everything: compelling and twisted story line that keeps you second guessing until the very end, fantastic special effects that actually look believable, beautiful cinematography, great cast and well placed and performed action scenes. I would highly recommend this film for anyone who enjoys action packed mystery movies. August 3, 2008

Good movie. Came right on time.

The package came in faster then expected which is always good. Good quality, no bad scratches, just the usual used DVD. I like it. March 4, 2008

Sci-Fi + Fantasy + Mystery with a French twist

One of the pluses of the huge explosion of video stores is the sudden availability of foreign films. Many have great storylines and good dialogue, but with poor special effects, lackluster soundtracks and plain cinematography that comes with low budgets, they often compare poorly with Hollywood productions, especially in the category of science fiction, fantasy and action movies. But the 21st century has brought cheap computers and global outsourcing to the rescue, and now many foreign movies are just as good as those from Hollywood. This is one of them. This French production hit US video stores earlier this year and is very well done. At its surface, this is a crime mystery, but the mystery itself is built on elements of fantasy and science fiction. Being a French production and starring an all French-cast; sexual themes are part of the story, though there is never a scene of sexual contact or nudity in the entire movie. The visual imagery is dark and sepia-toned, reminding the careful viewer of 300 or other CGI-heavy movies. The special effects are great and very realistic, and the dialogue is good, even if one has to read English subtitles. The movie is rated R for many good reasons, and I would not recommend kids to watch it, even with their parents. But overall, a great flick. October 1, 2007

Great movie bad dubbing

Gerard didnt even do his own voice in english for his character. I really liked the movie alot but the voice actors for the english dubbing were bad. I would still watch a sequel if they made it though because the story and the camerawork were great. June 18, 2007

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