Darkmatters Review: MR 73

MR 73 (18)

Dir. Olivier Marchal

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Welcome to cold dark world of Police Inspector ‘Schneider’ (Daniel Auteiul in another compelling, similar role to his hard boiled detective in the excellent ‘36’ – to which this is a kind of spiritual sequel)… MR 73 is the make of gun known as ‘Manurhin’ - French-manufactured, double-action revolver and it plays a significant part the grim events that unfold in the aftermath an accident which robbed Schneider of his child and left his wife “vegetablized.”
Bad things are happening all round though, a nasty serial killer with a taste for sodomy and bloody bondage is on the loose… Elsewhere a young woman Justine (Olivia Bonamy) who saw her father murdered and her mother raped and murdered as a child by evil incarnate Charles Subra (Phillipe Nahon) finds out that he is likely to be released early.

Schneider makes a great anti-hero, he’s a mess, drinking and doing reckless, dangerous things such as hijacking a bus because it isn’t going past his house… Even his long suffering Captain, Marie Angeli (Catherine Marchal) can’t defend his behaviour and it isn’t long before he loses it with annoyingly smug rival inspector Kovalski (Francis Reanaud).

Everything is shot with a fantastic cinematic eye, MR 73 is a film that grips hard and sucks you in deep. This might be a goodtime movie but it is one that is impossible not to be engaged by. Auteiul is amazing – channeling the spirit of Jacques Mesrine from the other side of the law and looking totally hang dog but totally cool throughout.

The plot builds to a horrifying and disturbing conclusion, the characters smoulder and everything just ‘works’. Although not an action film – there are some cracking chase, fight and death scenes which stay with you in the way some of the best scenes in ‘Se7en’ did.

"Hi honey, I've been a bit delayed on the bus home..."

If you’re looking for a brutal slice of cop thrills, they don’t come any darker, grittier or better. Provided you have a strong stomach, and enjoy subtitled films MR 73 is a ‘must see’…

Darkmatters final rating of: öööööööööö (10 – grim French cops out of 10)

If you're reading this in the US... then you'll be looking for 'Last Deadly Mission' not 'MR 73'... way to rename a film!!