MovieChat Forums > La mentale (2002) Discussion > An apology of petty delinquency with an ...

An apology of petty delinquency with an apocalyptic histrionical cast


A plot as thinly evanescent as a discount shopping bag.
A cast supposed to be full of the new promising big stars of French cinema but deprived of any talent.
Samy Naceri and Samuel Le Bihan are considered as being worthy heirs of Alain Delon and Jean - Paul Belmondo but they turn out to be god - awful gangsters on screen , afflicted with a schizophrenic disease called "The lack of personality" .
Thus they are exposed to a poignant Cornelian dilemma with regard to their performances , oscillating with bland mimicries between Alain Delon's list of gangsterian roles and little violent scums Joe Pesci usually stars in Martin Scorsese' flicks.
One critic charitably tried to save the sinking ship and pointed out the only decent element of this wasted film would be the soundtrack .
But it just happens to be a supermarket ersatz of Arabian Andalusian songs .If you're a big fan of this musical trend, watch "Vengo " by Tony Gatlif instead.

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Wow
For me this is the second better french movie (in hood movies) after La Haine...
Samy Naceri is a big star here, he got to see him in the film "Taxi"
But thats French style, and french touch, so if you're not into it...

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It's no worse than any run of the mill Hollywood buddy heist like Heat or City of Industry etc etc.
Maybe the problem you have with this movie is that it's just a leetle beet French, or is it something to do with the high Arab/Gitane quotient?
Sammy Naceri is unlikely to be embraced by the ultra liberal and racially enlightened USA anytime this century, so let's hope he keeps getting paid to churn out competent comedies, and snarly over the top slang teacher petty crime films. Une bastos dans la tranche pour les glou glous, une petite main pour les zonards. En tout cas, il pete des flammes.

Maybe some dumbass Hollywooden studio can covince Queen Latifah to do a very low rent pointless English speaking remake called The Mental, "starring" Ice Cube, P Diddy, and a token Hispanic actor.

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This movie isn't bad because it's French. It's bad because it's bad.

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