A Disappointing Continuation

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Omerta (2012): Dir: Luc Dionne / Cast: Michel Cote, Patrick Huard, Rachelle Lefevre, Stephane Rousseau, Rene Angelil: I do not speak French but since I have enjoyed many foreign films, I took a gamble on this. What I didn't care for was the lack of subtitles. This put me at a disadvantage but like a professional, I decided to review this film as if viewing a silent film. I was able to understand a few plot points that, from reading other reviews later, I actually had correct. We have fake gold bars being manufactured, and we have a police investigator, played effectively by Michel Cote who is out to bring this whole thing down. Rachelle Lefevre plays an undercover cop who is in a tight bind in the film's opening flashback. She is positioned between two dangerous men that may be more cunning than she thought. Patrick Huard works in a restaurant but is secretly under watch for criminal connection. His house is bugged and he soon comes to grips with this, just to prove that he is smarter than he looks. Stephane Rousseau plays a more cunning yet sadistic villain who isn't beyond torture, even if the victim is a woman. The cast is effective and play out their roles with believability. That is pretty much the best I can do with this. I enjoyed what I could make out. Luc Dionne successfully holds my interest from the opening shot leaving me curious as to where this was going. The ending left me unsatisfied, and one torture scene is quite brutal. Otherwise, this film, based on a TV show gives off an ugly portrait of crime and the law who either get sucked in or attempt to prevent it. Score: 8 / 10

I didn't liked how the movie begins, i didn't liked how the movie ends. Maybe i had too much expectations because i was a huge, HUGE fan of the TV series "Omertà, la loi du silence", which had a realistic and down to earth approach with flawless performances and a vast range of emotions. The movie became interesting for me only 45 minutes before it ends and the denouement seems a bit rushed in my opinion. Not so well written, not so well directed but not enough to be called a piece of garbage.The plot is interesting enough (it seems based on "real" events) but too complex for an 1:46:49 format. The casting is unequal (i was happy when Sophie, the beautiful Rachelle Lefevre from Twilight, disappeared from the screen). I read a few critics saying that René Angelil (Céline Dion's manager) was a very good actor in this. The reason he was good is because he had to play only one single emotion throughout the whole movie and he fails to act anger when he throws his cell phone at the end. Once again Paolo Noël (who plays Tony Potenza) didn't convinced me he was as good as the others actors. The characters didn't stop saying that Sam Cohen (Stéphane Rousseau) was a psychopath but he failed to convince me he was one, it takes me more than a mutilating scene and a tough face to be called a psychopath. Unfortunately for Rousseau, Ron Lea (Gino Favara in the TV series) played THE best psychopath i have ever seen on screen, he didn't act like one, he "WAS" one and it makes all the difference in the world! The result is i didn't care about the characters at all and i was happy when they died. A short range of emotions is what you'll get in this film, almost always in the same tones...There's also a cameo of Michel Auger, a real journalist of the "Journal de Montréal" who's been harmed by gun shots in real life by the bikers or the mob (i don't remember) in a parking lot in September 2000 to shut him up. There is a few unconvincing scenes like the second gun shot scene at the beginning; a deputy minister organizing secret meetings with the police boss in a factory; Pierre Gauthier's (Michel Côté) daughter screaming and crying because her friend was killed, etc... Unnecessary flamboyant dialogues, sometimes boring, with some laughable twists and turns only for the sake of surprises and suspense. Unlike the TV series, the music (i'm a great fan of Michel Cusson) was forgettable and relayed in the background for atmospheric purpose, but still have the Cusson's vibe. The legendary musical theme is used only once but barely recognizable and the "Denise Deslongchamps's theme" is used as the main theme instead. To me it's like a Star Wars movie without the intro music, something is missing...The end of the movie is open for a sequel, i don't know if they will, but i hope they won't do another one.An average blockbuster full of clichés with almost no depth whatsoever. It seems more like a recipe to make money than a work of art in my opinion. You take a fine cuisine dish, throw it in the oven for about 10 years and you'll get a Mc Donald trio. It does the job but i was hungry again one hour later. I regret but in one word, forgettable.

Omertà is inspired by a legendary French Canadian series of the same name and lives some sort of revival this summer with a quite well done feature for the cinemas. The movie convinces with gripping characters that are portrayed by some of Quebec's best actors which are the charismatic, old and tough Michel Côté who shines as he nearly always does or the cool, dynamic and eternally young Patrick Huard. Next to this, many other famous actors appear in this movie like René Angelil who does a truly convincing job as mafia boss in this flick.While the acting of the mentioned actors is flawless, I didn't like the performance of Rachelle Lefevre who is one of the main actress. It's not that she played a rather unsympathetic character who happens to be quite arrogant, bullish and naive because this was probably part of the script but she frequently switches from French to English in her over the top performance which is a quite annoying thing. I know that there are a lot of people around Montreal that are bilingual but it's quite uneasy when those people suddenly switch from one language to the other without any reason and don't seem to be rather skilled any of them.Concerning the story, there are a couple of lengths in the beginning and you already begin to expect your usual crime flick centered around an undercover investigation. By the end, there are more and more surprises though and the story gets as intense as the excellent acting is. Of course, there are a couple of elements that happen to be predictable if you now the genre well but this film definitely doesn't lack of ideas. There are always some lovely surprises here and there and especially the ending is quite courageous. I was very pleased by the great last half hour of the movie while more mainstream orientated cinema fans might be a little bit disappointed of what happens in here. There is a lot of action, murder and treason in the last third of the movie that permanently keeps the tension high and you on the edges of your seat.In the end, what we have here is one of the best Canadian movies of the year until now. The movie convinces with a more than solid acting as well as a good average story that evolves to a truly addicting movie towards the end. If you care for Canadian movies and French Canadian culture, you should not miss this film. I'm looking forward to watch this movie again and would recommend a purchase for your home cinema which might be more efficient than a walk to the movie theatres.