Europacorppresents

JEANRENO KADMERAD

MARINAFOÏS JEAN‐PIERREDARROUSSIN

22BULLETSAFILMBYRICHARDBERRY

BasedonthenovelL’IMMORTELbyFranz‐OlivierGIESBERT(75%)

PublishedbyEditionsFLAMMARION©2007(37.5%)

FRENCHNATIONALRELEASEMARCH24,2010

Runtime:115'

DISTRIBUTION: PRESS:EuropacorpDistribution ASCOMMUNICATION137,rueduFaubourgSt‐Honoré AlexandraSchamis/Sandra75008Paris NaomiKatoTel:+33(0)153830303 11bisrueMagellan–75008ParisFax:+33(0)153830204 Tel:+33(0)147230002www.europacorp.com naomikato@ascommunication.fr

SYNOPSIS

CharlyMatteïhasturnedhisbackonhislifeasanoutlaw.Forthelastthreeyears,he'sledapeaceful

lifedevotinghimselftohiswifeandtwochildren.Then,onewintermorning,he'sleftfordeadintheparkinggarageinMarseille'sOldPort,with22bulletsinhisbody.

Againstalltheodds,hedoesn'tdie...Thisfilmisaworkoffictioninspiredbyreal‐lifeeventsintheworldoftheMarseillemafia.

INTERVIEWWITHRICHARDBERRY

WhatmadeyouwanttoadaptFranz‐OlivierGiesbert'sbook?

Inthesamewaythatcomedyisanincrediblevehicleforcertainideas,thrillerscanalsogiveyou

pausetoreflectoncertainissues.Inthestoryofaguy,whowasallegedlyamafiagodfatherinMarseille,whowasleftfordeadin1977inaparkinglotinCassis,butwhosurvivedtheshootingearninghimselfthenickname"TheImmortal",Isawanincrediblystrongsubjectandanamazing

adventure.Goingfromgangstertoimmortalisaprettyastoundingfeat.

Isituatedthefilmbeyondtheanecdote.Itgavemeachancetotalkaboutidentity,thecentralthemeofmostofmyfilms.Youcannevershakeoffyourculture,originsandhistory...Tootherpeople,you'llalwaysbetheBreton,theJew,theArab,theChinamanorwhatever.Andbetweenthedesire

tointegrateandourabilitytoacceptpeople,there'softenahugegulf.In22Bullets,we'redealingwithagangsterwhohasretiredfromthelifeandwhoisredeeminghimselfbylivingaquietlifewithhiswifeandchildren,whileacceptingthathe'llneverbeasrichthatway.Eventually,hispastcatches

upwithhimintheshapeofZacchia,hischildhoodfriend.They'dsworntosticktogetherinlifeandindeath,butZacchiaismotivatedbyatheorythatisnolesstrueandtotallyrational:"Whenyouhavebloodonyourhands,itneverwashesoff.Evilisevil.It'swithinus.Youhavetoacceptit."Their

completelycontrastingapproachesmademewanttomakeamoviebasedontheirstory,butnotinadidacticway,tellingaudienceswho'srightandwho'swrong.Intheunderworld,likeinthepolicedepartment,therearegoodguysandmorons.They'rehumanbeingsfirstandforemost,before

they'recopsorhoodlums.SoMarinaFoïs'scharacter,thefemalecop,isstilllookingforclosureafterherhusband'sdeathbecausetheinvestigationneverfoundanyproofagainstthegangsterswhodidit.Theyareuntouchable.And,ofcourse,herpersonalperspectiveiscompletelydifferentthanher

professionalone.It'sthathumanreality,thoseparadoxes,thatIwantedtoseeonthescreen.Similarly,Iwantedeachhoodlumwhodiestobeamanwithastory,afamily.Thesearecontradictionsthatshinetruehumanityonthefilm.

Howdidyousetaboutachievingthataim?

IboughttherightstoFranz‐OlivierGiesbert'sbook,butIonlyusedpartofthenovelintheend.Some

peoplewillfindthemovieverytruetotherealityoftheunderworld.Iconductedmyowninvestigation,whichIcan'ttalkaboutingreatdetailbecauseImetalotofpeopleintotalsecrecy.IspentweeksonendinMarseilleandgradually,Imetawomanwhoknewamanandsoon...Discreet

meetingsincafés,whereIheardstoriesthatfleshedoutthestoryorcertaincharacters.

WhathappenedwhenyoumetTheImmortal,thenotoriousJackyImbert?

Franzwasthego‐between.JackywasobviouslythefirstpersonIwantedtomeet.Themovieisn'tthestoryofhislife.Itakeoneeventandbuildafictionallifearoundit.Thatfictionisbasedonthereality

oflifeintheunderworld,butitisn'ttherealityofJacky'soranybodyelse'sdailylife.It'sfictionbased

onfact.Ourfirstmeetingtookplaceonesummer'seveningnearlythreeyearsago.Ifoundmyselfinthecompanyofaveryfunny,quitemysteriousandverytight‐lippedcharacter.Hesawwhathe'dbeen

throughfromaveryhumanperspective‐‐friendships,backstabbing.Hesaid,"ThatattemptonmylifedestroyedmewhenIwasonly47yearsold.Now,I'maninvalid.I'velosttheuseofmyrighthandandmybodyisrackedwithpain."Buttheworstthingforhim,hisbiggestwound,wasthebetrayal.I

soonunderstoodthat,ashedidforFranz'sbook,JackywantedtostaywelloutofthestoryIwantedtotell.

Butyouaskedtoseehimagain...

Yes,thatdidn'tstopmemeetingwithhimduringhistrialforracketeering,achargethatwentback15years.He'dalreadyspent18monthsincustody.So6monthsafterourfirstmeeting,Iturnedup

atthecourthouseandwasastonishedbythenumberofphotographersandTVcrews.Actually,Iwasstruckbythecharismaofthisguy,whosehairiscompletelywhiteandwhodressesallinblack.AsIfollowedthetrial,Idiscoveredanintelligentmanwhodefendedhimselfandexplainedthingswitha

lotofhumor.Ialsobegantounderstandthesituationhewasin,preytosomanyrumors.He'savictimofhisreputationasa"dangerous"man.

Afterthetrial,wehaddinnertogetherandmetupoften.He'sassilentasthegrave‐‐nevergivesanameorevenanicknameandsaysthingsthatfoundtheirwayintothemovie,suchas,"Heavenly

justiceworksfasterthanjusticeonearth"or"Thehitmenwerewearinghoods.That'smurder.Yousettleyourscoreswithyourfaceunmasked"or"ThecopstookmeinforjobsIdidn'tdo.ForthejobsIdid,theynevercamenearme."Today,he'saguywhojustwantstolivetherestofhislifequietly.

Hetrustedyourightaway?

Yes,because,withoutaskinganything,heknowsit'snotthestoryofhislife.ButIhopethemovie

ringstrueoverall.It'snotanItalianorAmericanmafiamovietransposedtoMarseille.IrootthefilmintherealityoftheFrenchmafia,theMarseillemafia,whichisadistinctpartoflocalculture.There'salineinthemovietellingthestoryofhow,inthe18thcentury,LouisXIVturnedthecanonsoftwo

fortsontothecityofMarseille.Onset,themayorofMarseille,Jean‐ClaudeGaudin,keptsayingthathedidn'twantanothermovieshowingMarseilleasamafiahub.Butthefactis,IspentoverayearinMarseilleand,inthattime,therewereanamazingnumberofganglandkillings.EverytimeIrecceda

location,therewasabunchofflowers"Inmemoriam..."Thatdoesn'tstopthecitydeveloping,anditwillbeEuropeanCapitalofCulturein2012,buttherealityisthereandhasbeenalongtime.Iwantedthattoappearonscreen.That'swhyallthesupportingactorsIcastarelocalactorswho

speakwithagenuineMarseilleaccent.

Butyoudon'temphasizethelinksbetweenpoliticiansandthemafia.Why?

Untilthelate80s,thoselinksexistedbetweenlocalpoliticsandtheunderworld.Myfilm'ssetinthe

presentday,soIonlyalludetotheminthesceneattheweddingofZacchia's"spiritualson".Theaudienceseesthatalltheseguyswereincontactwithveryseniorpoliticians.Ihadothermoreexplicitscenes,buttheyharkbacktobygonetimesandthatwasn'tmyangle,especiallyas

relationshipsbetweenpoliticiansandgangstersarenotwhattheywere.AsIexplaininthemovie,today,drugsarewhereit'sallat,anddrugsareavailabletosmalltimecrooksaswellasmajor‐leaguegangsters.Youneverseethekingpinsbecausetheyhaverepresentativeswhohaverepresentatives

whohaverepresentatives...allthewaydowntheeconomicladdertothestreet‐cornerdealerswhosellacoupleofkilosandarereadytokillfornogoodreasonatall,whoeveritisthey'refacing.Themafia'spyramidhierarchynolongerexists,sohavinglinkswithpoliticianshasbecomeredundant.

TellushowyousetaboutwritingwithMathieuDelaporteandAlexandredelaPatellièreonce

you'ddoneyourresearchandchosenyourangleonthestory?

Asusual,IwroteafirstdraftonmyowntogiveitthetintIwanted.Withseveralwriters,thescriptcangooffindifferentdirectionsandI'mscaredthefilmwillslipthroughmyfingers.OnceI'velaiddownthemainthemes,IcanstartthetechnicaljobofstructuringthestorywithMathieuand

Alexandre,tworemarkableandsmartwriters.ButIdon'tletthemnearthekeyboard!(laughs)What'sonscreeniswhat'sonthepage,soithastocomefrommeandnobodyelse.I'mverydemandinginthisphase,apaininthebutt,youcouldsay.Iliketokeepthestorybubblingunder,so

it'stoldbyjuxtapositionsasmuchasbywhat'sinthescene.Forme,theendofonesceneandstartofthenexthaverealmeaning,soIworkveryhardonthetransitions.Ialsolikewritingdialogue.Atthesametime,MathieuandAlexandrekeptcomingupwithideasandIusedtheirsuggestionsto

polishthescript.Theywereeasytoworkwith,passionateandperspicacious.Attheend,IwentoverthedialogueonelasttimewithEricAssous.

Howdidyouchoosetheleads?

JustasItrytowriterealcharactersinrealsituations,Icastthefilmsothatitwillbecredible.Forthethreemainmalecharacters,whoarethreechildhoodfriends,Ineededtwo"old‐timers"anda

youngerguy.JeanRenoandKadMeradontheonehand,andJean‐PierreDarroussinontheother,werejusttheobviouschoices.

WhyJeanRenotoplay"TheImmortal"?

Jeanwasthereatthebeginningoftheproject.We'regoodfriends.AfterI,Cesar...hewasoneofthefirstactorstoaskmetocasthiminamovie.ButIcan'twriteforsomeone.ThestorythatIhavein

mindhastobetherightfit.ButIhadnothinginmindthatfittedwithJean.IstartedworkingonanadaptationofPhilippeClaudel'sLapetitefilledeMrLinh,whichunfortunatelydidn'tgetofftheground.Thenthestoryof"TheImmortal"camealong,andIimmediatelythoughtitwasarolefor

Jean.Hehasthehumanityofaguywho'slookingforredemption,butlookslikehecouldoncehavebeenamajorgangster.Jeanhasthedepthofsomeonewithapast,andstrengththatcould

potentiallybeverydangerousforsomeone.Thequietman.Also,asheconfirmsinthemovie,he'sa

wonderfulactor.In22Bullets,hisperformanceisquiteextraordinary.

WhyKadMeradtoplayZacchia,whosendshishitmenafter"TheImmortal"?

Zacchiaisamulti‐facetedcharacter.Heis,inturnorevensimultaneously,charismatic,likable,temperamentalandnuts.Hecangooffthewallatanymoment.Onceagain,IimmediatelythoughtofKadbecausehehasoneofthecharacter'svitaltraits,genuinekindness,andbecause,although

he'sgivenacclaimedperformancesinmovieslikeDon'tWorry,I'mFine,he'sneverplayedacharacterwhoscarespeople.Iwantedtolightthefuseandseewhathappened.Ichosetotakealikableactorandpushhimtowardscraziness,ratherthananactorwholookslikeanutcaseandgivehimaveneer

ofhumanity.It'sfascinatingtoshowthosefacetsofonecharacter.Foramoment,youthinkyoucanbepalswiththeguy,andthenheturnstotallyscary.Kadwastherightpersontocapturethatrangeoffeelings.

And,tocompletethetrio,Jean‐PierreDarroussin?

Jean‐PierreandIhaveknowneachotherages,we'vemadethreeorfourmoviestogetherandIget

onreallywellwithhim.He'stheultimateniceguy,honest,loyal,trustworthy—aRobertDuvallwithoutthehintofdanger—preciselylikethelastmemberofthetrio,morewithdrawnandcowardlythanJean'sverycalmcharacterandKad'son‐edgecharacter.Weshowthosetraitsintheflashbacks

totheiryoungerdays.

Amidstallthesemen,youcastMarinaFoïstoplaythecopleadingtheinvestigation...

MarinaisanactressI'veadoredforalongtimeandIwantedtoseeherinamorerealisticsetting.22Bulletsprovesthatshe'sagreatactresswithincrediblerange.Hercharacterisn'tascrazyasinDarling,norasoffbeatasinLesRobinsdesBois.She'sincredibleinanextremelygroundedrole,she

likestotakedirectionandsherespondsimmediately,soIcouldpushherreallyfarincertainscenes.That'sanenormouspleasureforadirector.

YouandrapperJoeyStarralsomakebriefappearances.Why?

Inthemovie,there'samysterysurroundingtheeighthmaninthegroupthatshotJacky.Theideawasthattheaudienceshouldn'timmediatelyguesshisidentity.Ifoughttohavewell‐knownfacesin

minorrolestoincreasethepossibilities.ThatexplainsmyroleandthatofJoeyStarrasPistachio.Ofcourse,theactorshadtobecredibleintherolestheyplay,andIthinkJoeyisawonderfulactor.HewasastonishinglytruetolifeinLebaldesactrices.Also,we'veknowneachotheralongtime.Imet

himbeforeheevenbecameJoeyStarrandIlikehimalot.Ontopofthat,thecameraloveshim.

Howdoyouworkwithyouractors?

Beforetheshoot,Idoread‐throughswiththewholecastandonsetItakethetimetorehearsethe

scenewiththemwhilethecrewsetsuptheshot.Ialwaysprepareaverydetailedshotbreakdown,sothetechniciansknowexactlywhatIwant,leavingmetofocusontheactors.Mostoften,Istandrightbehindthecamera,inrangeofmyactors.TheyknowIexpectthemtoknowtheirlines

perfectly.Idon'twantanyhesitationsbecausetheydon'tknowwhatthey'resupposedtobedoing.Igivealotofdirection,drivingthemhardtogetthebestoutofthem.ForthescenewhereJeanbegsMarinatohelphim,I'dbeenonJean'scaseforweeksbeforehand,focusingonhimsohe'dbelikea

diamondthatwe'dcuttoitspureststatewitheachtake.Ikeptaskinghimtogoevenfurther,todeactivatetheautomaticpilot.Itwaseasyformebecausewegoback35yearsandIknowwhathecando,andhewantedtodoit.Iaskedhimtolearnhislinesandworkoutforthephysicalscenes

wheretherewouldn'tbeastunt‐double.Andhegotthere.Hegotintoshapeandreachedthetruthinitspurestform.

Whatareyourmajorconsiderationswhenyou'redirecting?

Thismoviehadtobebothtruthfulandslick,whichmayseemlikeacontradictioninterms,butthat'swhatIwasafter.Toseehowwedidit,wehavetogobacktoTheBlackBox,mypreviousfilm,which

wasn'tatallrootedinreality,becausewewereintheheadofacomavictim.Tocapturethateffect,Iusedshortlensesandextremecompositiontoachieveshotsthatlookedalmostlikepaintings.Ivisitedallmyfantasiesandobsessions.In22Bullets,withoutneglectingestheticconsiderations,I

workedwithlongerlensestoincreasetherealismandusedahandheldcamerawiththeshutterat45°,whichistighterthanusual,asinthekidnappingsceneinthestreet,togiveasenseofsnatched,true‐to‐lifeimagesimpregnatedwithasenseofpanic.Ihadtobecarefulnottogotoofartheother

way—Idon'tlikethejerkylookofsomanymoviestoday,it'sfacileandpointless.Myonlyaimwastotelleachsceneasitshouldbe,nottousespectaculareffectsforthesakeofit.Thecameraisalmostneverstill,we'realwaysmoving,evenifonlyslightly—asidewaystrackingshot,push‐inorcrane

movement.

Didthemoviechangealotinediting?

No.Ididn'tcutanyscenes,justshavedalittleoffhereandthere.Thefirstroughcutwas125minutesandwe'renowdownto114minutesincludingtheendcredits.Allmymovieshavebeenlikethat.Tousethediamondmetaphoragain,themoreyoupolishthem,thebettertheylook.Lessismore!I

talkedaboutthiswithLuc(Besson)andhesaid,"IneverwonderedwhyIcutsomethingoutofoneofmymovies,butIoftenregrettednotcuttingsomethingelse."

WhydidyouchooseKlausBadelttocomposethescore?

IworkedwiththemusicofJamesNewtonHowardinmind.Iadmirehisworkgreatly.Thatsetthe

standardveryhighbecausehe'sacomposerwhoswitchesbetweengenreswithastonishingease.HeandAlexandreDesplatwerethefirstpeopleIcontacted—Iwasluckythatmyproducersgavemea

freehand—butneitherofthemwasfree.ThenIturnedtoHowardShore,who'sworkedwith

Scorsese,CronenbergandonLordoftheRings.Heagreedtodoitafterreadingthescriptbut,oddly,whenwetriedtoputsomeofhismusictothescenesintheeditingsuite,itdidn'twork.Itriedagainandagain,invain.ThenIrealizedHowardShore'smusiccompeteswiththeoperamusic.Heworks

mainlywithstringsusingveryclassicalfoundations,soitcouldn'tworkwiththismovie.Ihadtwooptionsleft:HarryGregson‐WilliamsandKlausBadelt,whoseworkonPremonitionandConstantineIreallylikedandwhoremindsmemusicallyofJamesNewtonHoward.Somebodyrecommendedthat

IlistentohisscoreforPourelle.Itwasveryminimalist,butbeautifulandpure.Ialsolikewhenhe'smoreflamboyant,likeonPiratesoftheCaribbean3.ThenIheardhewasonararetriptoParis,soImethimandshowedhimthemovie.Ihadtheintensejoyandshockofhearinghimsay,"I'masking

youtoletmeworkonyourmovie.Iloveit!"Whensuchatalentedpersonsendsyouemailsandcallstosayhe'ssurehecoulddoawonderfuljobonthepicture,itbecomesano‐brainer.Hewasn'tlying—he'sdoneawonderfuljob.WerecordedatAbbeyRoadwithamarvelousstringsection.Itwas

anamazingmoment.That'swhenIrealizedwhyheinsistedondoing22Bullets.Itgavehimthechancetocomposeflamboyantly,likeonPiratesoftheCaribbean,whilecreatingrealemotionwithsimple,purefeelings,andsoworkwitharangeoftones,whichdoesn'thappenveryoften.

Howdoyoufeelafewweeksbeforethefilm'srelease?

Obviously,I'mveryattentivetohowthefilmwillbereceivedbecauseit'sverydeartomyheart,and

I'dlikeJackyImberttobetouchedwhenheseesitandforaudiencestobemoved,tobeabletorelatetosomethingevenifthestoryisfarremovedfromtheirownexperience.It'saboutthewaypeoplelookatyouandacceptyou,ornot.Andthewayyoulookatotherpeople.Thewaytheycan

feelexcludedfrommicrocosmsofsocietythattheywanttobelongto.

Andmorepersonally,withthismovie,IfeelI'vepushedonbothasawriteranddirector.Althoughmyfilmshavealwayshadagoodpress,thistimeI'llbeevenmoreattentivetoitthanusual.

FILMOGRAPHY(Director)

2010 L'IMMORTEL (22 Bullets) Screenplay Richard BERRY, Matthieu DELAPORTE and Alexandre de la PATELLIERE Based on the novel of the same name by Franz-Olivier GIESBERT 2005 LA BOÎTE NOIRE (The Black Box) Screenplay Eric ASSOUS and Richard BERRY Based on the novel of the same name by Tonino BENACQUISTA. 2003 MOI CÉSAR 10 ANS 1/2, 1M39 (I, Cesar...) 2000 L'ART (DÉLICAT) DE LA SÉDUCTION Based on "Kurtz" by Jean-Marc AUBERT

CharlyMatteï:"TheImmortal"

JEANRENO

WhatotherFrenchactorcouldplayalivinglegendoftheMarseillemafia,a"godfather"whomiraculouslyescapesdeathonhisquestforredemption?Withthisrole,thestarofTheBigBluealsoachievedacertainfulfillment.Anythingbutacoincidence...

WhatappealedtoyouabouttheroleofCharlyMatteï?

Hisquestforredemption,asscriptedbyRichardBerry.It'salwaysdifficulttoescapeyour

environmentandyourpast.Thepricetopaycanbeveryhigh.Ittakestime,anyway,tounderstandwhereyou'regoing.CharlyMatteïchoosessubstanceoverstyle—hisboat,wifeandsonover

mountainsofcocaine,theblingandtheclichés.Hegoesbacktothebasics,andaftertheattemptonhislife,heprotectshisfamily.

RichardBerrywrotethisroleforyou.Doesthatmeanthemovie'salsoaboutfriendshipbetweenadirectorandanactor?

RichardproducedawonderfulscriptbasedonFranz‐OlivierGiesbert'sbook,soitwasdifficulttosay

no.Heidentifieditasaroleforme.Tobehonest,we'veknowneachotheralongtimeandoftendiscussedworkingtogether.WegobacktoElieChouraqui'sMonpremieramour.Afterthat,wewerebothinPlanchon'sproductionofAndromaqueinLyon,justafterTheBigBlue,whenIwasfighting

nottobetypecast.RichardandImeetupoftenandspeakonthephone.He'safriend.Andhe'ssomeonewhodoesn'tlabelpeople.He'sreceptivetosomanythings,andlikemeheenjoystakingnewdirections.Deepdown,Igetonwellwithpeopleforwhomyou'dhappilystepoffthebeaten

path.

Didyourfriendsurpriseyouasadirector?

Igavemyselfovertohim.Itsoundsstupid,butIthinkhereallylikesme!Youcan'tdirectwithoutthatbenevolence.Wedidn'ttalkaboutitforhoursordaysonend.It'slikeacouple—there'sanimmediateimplicitunderstanding.Inanycase,youdon'tpassonknowledgebyyellingthrougha

bullhorn.Onset,Richardguidesyouverysmartly.Hesetsveryhighstandards,becauseheknowswhathewantsandhewon'tletanythinggo.Iwassurprisedbythat—seeinginhimoneofthequalitiesofagreatdirector.RichardcouldworkwithDeNirotomorrow,noproblem.Simplybecause

hehasagreateye.

22Bulletsisn'tjustadirector‐starvehicle.Howdidyougetonwiththeotheractors,KadMerad,

Jean‐PierreDarroussinandMarinaFoïs,whocomefrommanydifferenthorizons?Wereyouinsomewaytheir"godfather"?

WhenIarriveonset,Ihaveagoodideaof"how"we'regoingtogetsomewhereand"howfar"we'regoingtogo.Generally,Isaytomyself,"It'sadreamandIwantthedreamtogohere."Ithinkthe

otherssensethatandpositionthemselvesinrelationtothepersonwho'saskingthemost.Theaimistoachieveconcordancebetweenthecharactersandouraims.Evenso,forme,amovieisaboutworkingwithothers.Agroupeffort.Youonlyreachitthroughhumility.That'swhyyouhavetotake

itniceandeasy,besuretheangle,therhythmandthemomentareright.Marina'sperformance,forexample,isexceptional.She'sabright,talentedactress—she'ssorestrainedwithhercharacter,nailsitcompletely.LikeKad.Helethimselfgoandhe'sreallygood.Ieventhinkhe'llbesurprisedwhenhe

seeshimselfonscreen.Basically,weformedakindoftribeonthismovie.

Itseemslikethemovieevensurprisedyou.Wherewouldyoupositionitinyourlongandprestigiousfilmography?

IsawthefilmatHallowe'en,onvacationwithmyfamily.Ihavefivekids,youngandold.Theywerechokingwithemotion,honestly.Iwassohappytoseethatand,atthesametime,ithurtsbecauseI

realizethatforme22Bulletsisnotjustagreatmovie,it'samoviethatmakesmetakestockofmylifeandcareer.Thelessonisthatifyoudon'tgetitrightwiththerightperson,well,youkeeptrying,butsparkslikethatareveryrare.Atmyage,thequestionis,what'smyplaceinFrenchcinema?That

soundspretentious,afterjustplayingacharacternicknamed"TheImmortal",buteventhatisindicativeofsomething.Thefactis,thecharacterhasarevolver,hehasasenseofhumorand,atthesametime,he'sbleedinginside.ItseemstomeIshareallofthosefacets.AndRichardhasthemin

hisdirectorialeye,too.

22Bulletsisafilmnoirandyoutalkaboutitveryseriously.Whenyou'retakingstock,istherestillroomforpleasureinyourapproachtoacting?

Pleasurecomeswheneverybodyelseishappy.Onset,Iwouldn'tsayI'mhavingfun.Theideathatpeoplemightnotlikeitpetrifiesyou.Itremovesanypleasureyoumayfeel.Sure,we'renotdowna

mine,orfightingabull,oratwar,butitmeanssomethingtotellthestoryofamanandhisdestiny.Ontopofthat,Imetthemanmycharacterisbasedon,JackyImbert.Believeme,afterthat,youdon'tputyourselfinsomeone'sshoeslightly.It'saresponsibility.Shooting22Bulletsalsomademe

evenmoreawareofhowstrongmyfriendshipiswithRichard.I'dliketoseewhatacomedywithhimandmewouldbelike.Acomedywithheart,ofcourse!

FILMOGRAPHY

2010 22 BULLETS by Richard Berry

2009 COUPLES RETREAT by Peter

Billingsley

2009 ARMORED by Nimrod Antal

2009 MARGARET by Kenneth

Lonergan

2009 THE PINK PANTHER 2 by Harald Zwart

2008 CASH by Eric Besnard

2006 FLUSHED AWAY by Dan Bowers and

Sam Fell

2006 FLYBOYS by Tony Bill

2006 DA VINCI CODE by Ron Howard

2006 THE PINK PANTHER by Shawn Levy

2005 THE TIGER AND THE SNOW by Roberto Benigni

2005 L’ EMPIRE DES LOUPS by Olivier Dahan

2005 HOTEL RWANDA by Terry George

2004 L’ENQUETE CORSE by Alain Berberian

2004 LES ANGES DE L’APOCALYPSE by Olivier Dahan

2003 TAIS-TOI by Francis Veber

2002 DECALAGE HORAIRE by Danièle

Thompson

2002 ROLLERBALL by John McTiernan

2001 WASABI by Gérard Krawczyk

2001 LES VISITEURS EN AMERIQUE by Jean-Marie Poiré

2000 LES RIVIERES POURPRES by Mathieu

Kassovitz

1997 RONIN by John

Frankenheimer

1997 GODZILLA by Roland

Emmerich

1996 UN AMOUR DE SORCIERE by René Manzor

1996 LES VISITEURS II by Jean-Marie Poiré

1996 ROSEANNA'S GRAVE by Paul Weiland

1995 LE JAGUAR by Francis Veber

1995 MISSION : IMPOSSIBLE by Brian de Palma

1994 BEYOND THE CLOUDS by Win Wenders

1994 FRENCH KISS by Lawrence

Kasdan

1994 LES TRUFFES by Bernard Nauer

1994 LEON by Luc Besson

1992 LES VISITEURS by Jean-Marie Poiré

1991 LOULOU GRAFFITI by Christian Le Jalé

1990 L’OPERATION CORNEED BEEF by Jean-Marie Poiré

1990 L’HOMME AU MASQUE D’OR by Eric Duret

1989 NIKITA by Luc Besson

1987 LE GRAND BLEU by Luc Besson

1986 I LOVE YOU by Marco Ferreri

1985 SUBWAY by Luc Besson

1984 NOTRE HISTOIRE by Bertrand Blier

1982 LE DERNIER COMBAT by Luc Besson

1982 SIGNES EXTERIEURS DE RICHESSE by Jacques Monet

1981 LES BIDASSES AUX GRANDES MANŒUVRES by Raphäel Delpard

1981 /82 LA PASSANTE DU SANS SOUCI by Jacques Rouffio

1980/81 NOUS NE SOMMES PAS DES ANGES by Michel Lang

1980 VOULEZ-VOUS UN BEBE NOBEL by Robert Pouret

1979 CLAIR DE FEMME by Costa Gavras

1978 /79 L’HYPOTHESE DU TABLEAU VOLE by Raoul Ruiz

TonyZacchia

KADMERAD

Goingupagainst"TheImmortal"wearingtheblacksuitofaMarseillemafiagodfatheristhestarof

massivehitsTheChorusandWelcometotheSticks.Scary,unpredictable,dangerous—it'shismeanestroleever.

KadMeradactinginathrillerwillsurprisesomepeople.Areyouafanofthegenre?Isthatwhyyouagreedtodoit?

Aboveall,itwasnewandverytempting,orevenexciting.Actorsareveryplayful.We'reallchildren.

Evenif,deepdown,Iwasn'tsureIcoulddoit.IsaidsotoRichardBerrywhenheofferedmethepart.Idon'trushouttoseegangstermovies,butfilmslikeGoodfellas,ScarfaceandCarlito'sWay—withtheirhoodlumsandthugs—arefascinating.They'reextremelycruelguys,outlawsthatyoucan't

identifywith,butIguessImaybeknowsomewithoutrealizingit!Whoknows?Butifyouwindupatdinnerwithaguylikethat,heprobablyhasalittlesomethingdifferentinhiseye.

Didthattwinkleintheeyeinspireyourperformanceordidyoudrawonlegendarymoviegangsters?

WhenyouplayagangsterlikeZacchia,dressedinblack,livinginahugehouse,youobviouslythinkof

Scarface.Soobviously,IthoughtofPacino!Butit'stotallyunconsciousbecausetherearen'tsomanydifferentwaystoapproachtheroleofagodfatherwhoinspiresfearandpity.Fortunately,Icouldleanonthefactthathestammers,getsmigrainesandisahypochondriac.Otherwise,he'saregular

gangster.IremembersomethingRichardsaid:"He'sacharmingguy,loveshisfamily,isattractivetowomen...butyoudon'twannacrosshim.There'ssomethingburninghimupdeepdown."He'llkillincoldblood,sohe'sunpredictableanddangerous,too.

Itsoundsasifyou'resurprisedyouwereofferedthepart...

IrememberaskingRichardwhyhewantedmetodoit.We'reallpigeon‐holedorlabeled,andmy

labelisthatI'maregularJoe.Andaclown,maybe.Ofcourse,I'veplayeddramaticroles,butnothingthatinvolvedguns!Evenifit'samovie,youhavetoseemcredible.Youmustnevercrossthelineintoridicule.So,yes,itwastough,inthesensethat,onset,IneededtogettoaplacethatIrarelyever

go.

Morewithdrawn,moreintrospective?

Generally,beforeashoot,Ilettherolegrowinsidemeandthen,whenIgetonset,ifIknowhowto

approachthefirstscene,therestcomesnaturally.Onthismovie,everydaywasafreshstart.Iwasverytense,andexhaustedattheendofeachday.

Soyoufeltextrapressure?

FormeandMarinaFoïs—wetalkedaboutthisbeforetheshoot—amovielikethisisveryimportant.We'reawarethatpeoplewillbeexpectingustotripup.AndwewanttomakeRichardhappy.He'sa

verygooddirector,veryprecise.Yousensethatheknowswherehe'stakingyou.Ifhe'dgivenusthechancetoveeroffcourse,itwouldn'thavebeenatallthesamemovie.Buttherewerenoproblemsandeverybodywasveryprofessional.

TellusaboutworkingwithJeanReno.Yourcharactersarechildhoodfriendsandrivals,yourscenes

togetherareveryintense,especiallythekeymomentattheend.

22BulletswasmadeforJean.Heknowsthecharacter,hecanplayredemption—hehastherangeanddensityforit.Jean'sasolidguyandverycharismatic.Thefinalsceneinthekitchenwaslikebeinginadream.Youfeellikecallingyourfriendsuptocometakeaphotoofyouwithhim.Jeanhasbeen

alegendsinceTheBigBlue.He'saninternationalstar.IwasinL.A.recentlyandhe'saswellknownoverthereasinFrance.Itmeansalottometoworkwithhim.

AndtoworkinMarseille,acityyouknowwell?

MywifewasborninMarseille,mysisterlivesthere,mybrotherhasarestaurantthereandIhaveahousethere.Iprettymuchlivethere.It'sawonderful,verycinematictown.You'reaboatrideaway

fromFrioul,whereit'slikethesunsetsovertheseajustforyou.Unfortunatelyforitsinhabitants,Marseilleisoftenassociatedwithgangstermoviesandthrillers.Icanunderstandthembeingsickofit,butatthesametime,that'showitwas.EvenifthemovieisonlybasedonthelivesofJackyImbert

andco.,itcouldn'thavebeenshotanywhereelse.

2001 "FAUTE DE GRIVE" (short) by Patrick Bosso

"LA GRANDE VIE" by Philippe Dajoux

2002 "LA BEUZE" by François Desagnat & Thomas Sorriaux

2002 "VISITE GUIDEE" (short) by Hervé Thébault & Caroline Roucoux

"LES TOMBALES" (short) by Christophe Barratier

"RIEN QUE DU BONHEUR" by Denis Parent

"TERRE SAINTE" (short) by Xavier Giannoli

"DIALOGUE AU SOMMET" (short) by Xavier Giannoli

"J’AIME BEAUCOUP CE QUE VOUS FAITES" (short) by Xavier Giannoli

2003 "LES CHORISTES" by Christophe Barratier

"BLOODY CHRISTMAS" (short) by Michel Leray

"QUI A TUE PAMELA ROSE ?" by Eric Lartigau

"LE MONDE EXTERIEUR" (short) by David Rault

2004 "LES OISEAUX DU CIEL" by Eliane Delatour

"IZNOGOUD" by Patrick Braoudé

"LES DALTONS" by Philippe Haïm

"PROPRIETE COMMUNE" (short) by Michel Leray

2005 "UN TICKET POUR L’ESPACE" by Eric Lartigau

"LES IRREDUCTIBLES" by Renaud Bertrand

"J’INVENTE RIEN" by Michel Leclerc

"ESSAYE – MOI" by Pierre François Martin - Laval

"JE VAIS BIEN, NE T’EN FAIS PAS" by Philippe Lioret

César 2007 – Best Supporting Actor

"JE CROIS QUE JE L’AIME" by Pierre Jolivet

2006 "LA TETE DE MAMAN" by Carine Tardieu

2006 "PUR WEEK END" by Olivier Doran

"AMIS" by Michel Boujenah

2007 "CE SOIR JE DORS CHEZ TOI" by Oliver Baroux

"MODERN LOVE" by Stéphane Kazandjian

"BIENVENUE CHEZ LES CH’TIS" by Dany Boon

"FAUBOURG 36" by Christophe Barratier

"MES STARS ET MOI" by Laetitia Colombani

2008 "SAFARI" by Oliver Baroux

"LE PETIT NICOLAS" by Laurent Tirard

"RTT" by Frédéric Berthe

2009 "PROTEGER ET SERVIR" by Eric Lavaine

"L’IMMORTEL" by Richard Berry

DetectiveMarieGoldman

MARINAFOÏS

Forherfirstappearanceinagenremovie,MarinaFoïsplaysaverymodernwoman:anenigmatic,

obstinateandrebelliousdetective.Caughtupbydemonsofthepast,shejugglesconstantlywithherideals,disappointmentsandresponsibilitiesasasinglemother.

Whatappealedtoyouaboutthismovie?Playingacopinafilmnoir?

Ifyou'regoingtobeinagenremovie,whynotplaythedetective!Actually,IplayedacopinIlanDuranCohen'smovie,Leplaisirdechanter,butthatwasmoreaboutespionageinthecorridorsof

power.Thechallenge,here,wastofindmyownwayofsaying,"You'reunderarrest!"Everybody'shearditathousandtimes—soIhadtoavoidtheTVmoviefeeling,whosecodeseveryoneknowssowell.Theremusthavebeentakes,infact,whereIwaspitchperfectforaTVcopmovie!

That'swherethedirectorstepsin...

Yes,andtheotherthingthatappealedtomewasthewayRichardBerrydescribedmycharacterto

me,saying,"Iwanthertobeenigmatic."Thatfiresyourimagination,becauseherwholelifestoryplaysoutevenifit'snotupthereonscreen.

Howdidyouconstructthe"enigma"ofyourcharacter?

WhatinterestedbothRichardandIinthischaracterisherstruggletoreconcilethedifficultiesthatrealwomeninreallifeface—andaren'tnecessarilyverycinematic—andtheworldshe'sthrowninto,

whichpeoplecan'treallyidentifywith.I'mfriendswithacopwhocapturedaserialkiller,FrancisHeaulme.Hetoldmethatduringinvestigations,orafterinterrogationswithmajorcriminals,whenyougetaclose‐upglimpseofincomprehensibleviolence,yourreflexistoclingtoaneveryday

reality—justgoingintoacafétoorderacoffeesurroundedbynormalpeopledoingnormalthings.Evenso,it'seasytounderstandtheeffectoftheadrenalinrush...evenforajuniordetectivelikeMarie.What'smore,shehasverypersonalmotives—notrevengenecessarily,butaneedtosee

justicebedonetohelpgetoverherhusband'smurder.

Yourcharactercertainlyavoidstheclichéoftheinfallibledetective...

Yes,peoplelikeherareinterestingbecausetheyconstantlyhavetocompromisetheirideals.Iguess

peoplejointhepolicedepartmentwithacertainpersonalethic.Then,facedwithrealityandthejudicialsystem,someobviouslyhavetoscalebacktheirteenagedreams.And,ofcourse,mycharacterhasjustlostherhusband,whowasanundercovercopprobablymurderedbythemafia.

She'sforcedtowonderjusthowfarsheshouldgo,whatrisksshecantake,nowthatshe'sraisingtheirchildonherown.She'sdefinitelytornbetweentheneedfordetachmentandobligationforcommitment,whilefightingthetemptationtoover‐commit.Thatdilemmamakesthecharactervery

interesting,evenifit'snotcentraltothemovie.

Thedirectormustbevitaltostrikingtherightbalance.Isitdifferentwhenthedirectorisalsoanactor?

Inanycase,Ialwaysplacemytrustinthedirector.Igowheretheyaskmetogo.RichardBerryknowsexactlywhathe'slookingfor,andIthinkthathewantshisactorstoexistreally,notjustshow

thattheyexist.Hewantssomethingveryordinary,whichIlike.Heenjoysthesenseofcatchingthecharactersatamomentintheirdailyorworkinglives.Foracop,thatmeansthedailygrind,notthegrandstandingmoments.

FILMOGRAPHY

1993 "LA PERME" (short) by Emmanuel Sylvestre / T. Staib

"CASQUE BLEU" by Gérard Jugnot

1998 "SERIAL LOVER" by James Huth

"MILLE BORNES" by Alain Beigel

"TRAFIC D’INFLUENCE" by Dominique Farrugia

1999 "RIEN NE SERT DE COURIR" (short) by Patrick Bosso

"TRISTE A MOURIR" (short) by Alexandre Billo

"UPERCUTS" (short) by Soren Prevost

2000 "JOJO LA FRITE" by Nicolas Cuche

"LA TOUR MONTPARNASSE INFERNALE" by Charles Nemes

2000 "ASTERIX ET OBELIX by Alain Chabat

MISSION CLEOPATRE"

2001 "LE RAID" by Jamel Bensalah

"FILLES PERDUES CHEVEUX GRAS" by Claude Duty

2002 "BIENVENUE AU GÎTE" by Claude Duty

"MAIS QUI A TUE PAMELA ROSE ?" by Eric Lartigau

2003 "RRRrrrr ! ! !…" by Alain Chabat

"CASABLANCA DRIVER" by Maurice Barthélemy

"J’ME SENS PAS BELLE" by Bernard Jeanjean

2004 "A BOIRE" by Marion Vernoux

"UN PETIT JEU SANS CONSEQUENCE" by Bernard Rapp

2005 "UN TICKET POUR L’ESPACE" by Eric Lartigau

"ESSAYE - MOI" by Pierre François Martin – Laval

"LES HOMMES S’EN SOUVIENDRONT" (short) by Valérie Müller

2006 "DARLING" by Christine Carrière

Césars 2008 – Nomination for Best Actress

2007 "UN CŒUR SIMPLE" by Marion Laine

"LA PERSONNE AUX DEUX PERSONNES" by Nicolas & Bruno

"LE PLAISIR DE CHANTER" by Ilan Duran Cohen

2007 "LE BAL DES ACTRICES" by Maïwenn

2008 "LE CODE A CHANGE" by Danièle Thompson

"NON MA FILLE, TU N’IRAS PAS DANSER" by Christophe Honoré

2009 "22 BULLETS" by Richard Berry

MartinBeaudinard:theconsigliere

JEAN‐PIERREDARROUSSIN

AreturntoMarseilleforoneofRobertGuédiguian'sfavoriteactorsinthepivotalroleoftheattorney

friendofthetwogodfathers,MatteïandZacchia.Professionallyandpersonally,betweenlegalityandloyalty,howlongcanheremainabovetheirrivalry?

DarroussininathrillersetinMarseille.Somepeoplemightsay,Ofcourse!

Idon'twantittoseemobvious.Idon'twanttobepinneddowntoaparticulargenreorstyle.Whatappealedtomeabout22BulletswasthechancetoworkwithRichardBerry.Iknowhimwell,he'sa

friend.Imadeanappearanceinhisfirstmovie,buthereheofferedmeagreatcharacter,slightlyoffbeat,withsomeinterestingstufftoact.AndIhaven'tdonemanyactionmovies.

Isthestrengthofyourcharacterhiscontradictions?

Yes.Ingeneral,ingenremovies,thecharactersareallornothing,butthisguyiscaughtupinsomanycontradictions,heescapesmostoftheclichés.He'satthecoreofthecrisis,thewar.He's

shakenupsomuchonallsidesthathisweaknessesaregraduallyrevealed.Withhim,we'retalkingaboutthereluctancetoact,buthe'snotreallyananti‐hero.Eachleveloftheplothasitsprotagonists,andelementsthatconformtothecharacter'spotential.Mycharacteriseasyforthe

audiencetorelateto.Hebecamethegangsters'lawyer,butyoucouldeasilyimaginehimasanapprenticemobsterinthehousingprojects,exceptthathegotaplaceatlawschool...Ithappens!

Didyoudrawyourinspirationforhimfromrealorfictionalcharacters?

Richardintroducedmetoalawyer,whowasawoman,soIcouldhardlyprojectmycharacterontoher!Ofcourse,hebringstomindRobertDuvall'scharacterinTheGodfather.Exceptthatthey're

totallydifferent.DuvallplaysakindofSecretaryoftheInterior,directlyinvolvedinmafiabusiness,whereasthegangstersin22Bulletsareallprettyindividualistic.They'renotfightingoveraneighborhoodorbusiness.It'samoralissue.Iknowcinema'ssoyoungthatitdelightsinquoting

itself,butIdon'thavereferencesinmindwhenIact.Itrytoavoidthem.

Talkingofreferences,could22BulletshavebeenshotanywhereotherthanMarseille?

No,Idon'tthinkso.Firstly,becauseitdrawsonthelifeofafamousfigureinMarseille,JackyImbert.

Ofcourse,wecouldhavetransposedittoHamburg...Butno.TheMarseilleunderworldfeaturesstronglyinthecollectiveimagination,inFranceandbeyond.Playingwitharchetypesmeanstakingontheclassicsofthegenre.Historically,beingclosetoItaly,Marseillehashadlinkstothemafiain

NaplesandevenCorsica.Ontopofthat,Marseilleisaport,sothere'salotoftrafficking.Andthenthere'shistory.BeforeWW2,allaroundtheport,itwasthemobsterswholaiddownthelaw.Afterthewar,theResistanceheroesandtheirfriendstookpower.Marseilleisacitywhereadventuresare

alwayspossible,sotheadventurersgothere,too.It'shardertoimagineadventurersindull,smalltownFrance,isn'tit?

Asaresult,evenifit'snottotallyinvented,themovieisn'tcompletelyrealisticeither.

Italldependsonwhatyouhavetosay.Richardwantstomakestrikingmovies.Helikescameramovementsandlighting.Hestartedoutinthetheatre,sohereachesouttoaudiencesonadifferent

level,morefairytale,moreheroicandepic,ifyoulike.AndIagreethatthere'stragedyinthistaleofbattleandbetrayal.

Quitealotofviolencetoo...

IsawRichardatwork.Hetriedtoensureitwasn'tgratuitous—toshowthatthevictimsarepeople,notjustcharacters.Ilikeitwhenafilmshowsthatviolencecausescollateraldamagetofamilies,

mothersandsisters—peoplewhoseliveswillbetornapart.It'simportanttoshowthat.

Itsoundslikeyouenjoyedtheshoot?

Yes.Itwentverysmoothly.Richardisadirectorwhoexudesthepleasurehefeelsandthatgivesyouenergyandmomentum.And,asanactorhimself,hesensesjusthowfareachactorcango.He'snoteasilypleased.It'sagoodthing,Ithinkforadirectortosensehe'smakingthemoviehewantedto

make.That'showIsawit.

2009 "L’IMMORTEL" RICHARDBERRY

2008/09 "RIENDEPERSONNEL" MATHIASGOKALP

2008 "LADAMEDETRÈFLE" JÉRÔMEBONNELL

2008 "ERREURDELABANQUEENVOTREFAVEUR" GÉRARD BITTON AND

MICHELMUNZ

2007 "L’ARMÉEDUCRIME" ROBERTGUÉDIGUIAN

2007 "LEVOYAGEAUXPYRENEES" ARNAUDANDJEAN‐

MARIELARRIEU

2007 "LESGRANDESPERSONNES" ANNANOVION

2007 "LADYJANE" ROBERTGUÉDIGUIAN

2006 "LEcœurDESHOMMES2" MARCESPOSITO

2006 "FRAGILE(S)" MARTINVALENTE

2006 "DIALOGUEAVECMONJARDINIER" JEANBECKER

2006 "J’attendsquelqu’un" JÉRÔMEBONNELL

2006 "LEVOYAGEENARMÉNIE" ROBERTGUEDIGUIAN

2005 "LEPRESSENTIMENT" JEAN‐PIERRE

DARROUSSIN

2005 "LECACTUS" GÉRARDBITTONAND

MICHELMUNZ

2005 "COMBIENTUM'AIMES?" BERTRANDBLIER

2004 "TOUTELABEAUTEDUMONDE" MARCESPOSITO

2004 "SAINT‐JACQUES…LAMECQUE" COLINESERREAU

2003 "CAUSETOUJOURS" JEANNELABRUNE

2003 "UNLONGDIMANCHEDEFIANCAILLES" JEAN‐PIERRE JEUNET

2004 "MONPEREESTINGENIEUR" ROBERTGUÉDIGUIAN

2003 "FEUXROUGES" CÉDRICKAHN2002 "LECŒURDESHOMMES" MARCESPOSITO

2002 "AH!SIJ'ÉTAISRICHE" GÉRARD BITTON AND

MICHELMUNZ

2002 "C’ESTLEBOUQUET" JEANNELABRUNE

2002 "LERETOURDUPRINTEMPS" CARLOSPARDO

2001 "MILLEMILLIÈME" RÉMIWATERHOUSE

2001 "MARIE‐JOETSES2AMOURS" ROBERTGUEDIGUIAN INCOMPETITION,CANNES2002

2001 "UNEAFFAIREPRIVÉE" GUILLAUMENICLOUX

2000 "15AOÛT" PATRICKALESSANDRIN

2000 "L'ARTDÉLICATDELASÉDUCTION" RICHARDBERRY

1999 "CAIRAMIEUXDEMAIN" JEANNELABRUNE

1999 "LAVILLEESTTRANQUILLE" ROBERTGUEDIGUIAN

1999 "AL'ATTAQUE" ROBERTGUEDIGUIAN

1999 "INSÉPARABLES" MICHELCOUVELARD

1999 "LABÛCHE" DANIÈLETHOMPSON

1998 "C'ESTQUOILAVIE?" FRANÇOISDUPEYRON

1998 "QUIPLUMELALUNE?" CHRISTINECARRIERE

1997 "LEPOULPE" GUILLAUMENICLOUX CÉSARS1999:NOMINATIONFORBESTACTOR

1997 "SIJET'AIME,PRENDSGARDEATOI" JEANNELABRUNE

1997 "ALAPLACEDUCOEUR" ROBERTGUEDIGUIAN

1997 "ONCONNAITLACHANSON" ALAINRESNAIS

1996 "MARIUSETJEANNETTE" ROBERTGUEDIGUIAN

CÉSARS1998:NOMINATIONFORBESTSUPPORTINGACTOR

1996 "UNAIRDEFAMILLE" CÉDRICKLAPISCH CÉSARAWARDFORBESTSUPPORTINGACTOR

1995 "MONHOMME" BERTRANDBLIER

1995 "ALAVIEALAMORT" ROBERTGUEDIGUIAN

1994 "LEFABULEUXDESTINDEMMEPETLET" CAMILLE DE

CASABIANCA

1993 "CACHECASH" CLAUDEPINOTEAU

1992 "CUISINEETDEPENDANCES" PHILIPPEMUYLCÉSARS1994:NOMINATIONFORBESTSUPPORTINGACTOR1992 "RIENDUTOUT" CÉDRICKLAPISCH

1991 "L'AMOURENDEUX" JEAN‐CLAUDEGALLOTTA

1990 "MADO,POSTERESTANTE" ALEXANDRE

ADABACHIAN

1989 "DIEUVOMITLESTIEDES" ROBERTGUEDIGUIAN

1989 "MESMEILLEURSCOPAINS" JEAN‐MARIEPOIRE

1985 "KILOSA?" ROBERTGUEDIGUIAN

1985 "ONNEMEURTQUEDEUXFOIS" JACQUESDERAY

1985 "ELSAELSA" DIDIERHAUDEPIN

1984 "TRANCHESDEVIES" FRANÇOISLETERRIER

1983 "NOTREHISTOIRE" BERTRANDBLIER

1981 "EST‐CEBIENRAISONNABLE?" GEORGESLAUTNER

1980 "CELLESQU'ONN'APASEUES" PASCALTHOMAS

1980 "PSY" PHILIPPEDEBROCA

MarseilleandFilmNoir:adipintomurkywaters

Sincetheinventionofthecamera,Marseille—the"FrenchChicago"—hasbeenabreedinggroundfor

crimemovies.Withitsrollcallofhigh‐profilecrimesandcriminals,glamourandviolence,isMarseilletheganglandofpopularmythoristhereamoreprosaicreality?

byArianeAllard

Coulditbe,asMarseille‐basedauthorRenéFrégnisuggests,that"theblueoftheMediterraneanlightsupthedarknessofcrime"?It'snounderstatementtosaythatinthemoviesMarseilleequates

toadipintomurkywaters.Cosmopolitanandaport,andthereforeshady,itsconvulsions,illicittradesandclanshaveovertheyearsbecomeastapleofthecollectiveimagination,constantlyfedthecinemawhichpreysoneye‐catchingimages.AndGodonlyknows,theharbor,evenrottentothe

core,canbeamazinglyphotogenic!

FromJustindeMarseille(MauriceTourneur,1935)toTheFrenchConnection2(JohnFrankenheimer,1975)viaBorsalino(JacquesDeray,1970),TotalKheops(AlainBévérini,2002)andnow22Bullets(RichardBerry,2010),thereisalonglistofmoviesthatcapturethechaosandtumultoftheir

respectiveerastomakeMarseilleaverydarkmirror.EvenMarseille'smostunconditionalfanshavetoagreethiscan'tbepurecoincidence.

Crime

Let'sstartatthebeginning.Onceuponatime..."Mobsters","mafia","crooks"and"hookers"arewordsthathaveswirledaroundtheOldPortfromthe1920s,justlikeMarseille'smistralwind.So

manycolorfulfigurespickeduponbythemoviestoconfirmthecity'sreputationas"theFrenchChicago".Flim‐flam?Nobodycandenytheturbulenthistoryofthiscityofrebels,orevenoutlaws,culminatingintherisetopowerofthetriumvirateSabiani,CarboneandSpirito,oneelectedmayor

andtwogangsters.

Fromrealitytofiction,withanumberoffamousganglandkillingsandmurdersinthe70sand80s,noteverythinghasbeenexaggerated.Intheirexcellentbook,AMarseilleCrimeGuide,twojournalistsAngéliqueSchallerandMarcLerasdemonstratethatthroughoutitshistory"theoldest

cityinFrancehascertainlyliveduptoitssomberreputation."

Theinterestingthingaboutthemovies,eveniftheydon'tallavoidfallingintocliché,isthattheygobeyondthelitanyofkillingsandcorruptiontoshowwhyMarseilleissuchasuperbbackdropforfilm

noir.Atatimewhensociologistssuggestthecityisnowthe"15thor16thmostdangerousinFrance",

itsviolentdestiny,ascapturedbythemovies,hasmadeitamyth.

Symbol

JustasMarseille'smazystreetsareametaphorforcrimefiction,Marseilleonscreenandinliteraturehasbecomeasymbolofcrisisinsociety,throughtheexpressionofaveryspecificMediterraneancultureandLatinmentality.

JeanneBaumberger,filmcriticandhistorian,explainsthat,"Thefirstmovie,thebenchmarkifyou

like,theMarseilleequivalentofHawks'Scarface,isJustindeMarseille,whichcreatedtheimageofthegangsterandhiscodeofhonor.Apaternalistichoodlum.Thatmythologydevelopedinthe30sand40s,confirmingtheMarseille‐Chicagoanalogy."

Thingschangedconsiderablyinthe1960s."Marseillebecametheidealplaceforgangstersonthe

lamtolaylow,"saysBaumberger."WeseeitinGodard'sAboutdesouffle,andalsoinMelville'sLedeuxièmesouffle."Then,inthe70s,thetwoFrenchConnectionmoviesattributedtoMarseillegruesomelinkswiththeNewYorkmafia,whileheartthrobsDelonandBelmondoleftanirrevocable

markonthecityinBorsalino.

"Crucially,Borsalinopicksuponthe1930smythology,"addsBaumberger,"butgivesthegangsterglamour,whichwasneverthecasewithJustin.Asaresult,thelegendfascinatespeople,buthasdamagedthecity'sreputationforsometimetocome."Whichmaybeexplainstheemergenceofa

newfigureinthe80sand90s‐‐thewearycop.ThisistheMarseilleofrecession,flirtingwithextremerightwingpolitics,withanunderworlddominatedbydrugdealersfromthehousingprojects.GoodbyetotheglamourofBorsalino'shandsomehoods,hellotoscreenadaptationsofthenew

grittyMarseillecrimenovels.

Survival

AsPhilippeCarrese,oneofthosenovelists,pointsout,"MarseillehasneverbeenarichcityexceptforaperiodofahundredyearsaftertheconstructionoftheSuezCanal.It'salwaysbeenacitykeepingitsheadabovewaterandintegratinginfluxesofimmigrants—asituationfavorabletothe

spreadofillicitbehavior,andtoitsrepresentationinsomanyfilmsnoirs."

PhilippeCarreseisalsothedirectorofthreedocumentariesonmajorfiguresoftheMarseilleunderworld,fromtheZampafamily,anold‐styleCorsicanclanthatreinventeditselfintheFrenchConnectionperiod,toJackyImbert,akaJackyLeMat,whosestoryistheinspirationfor22Bullets.

"Hehasamazingcharisma,"saysCarrese."Butthencomesthemyth.AllIknowisthatthereisahugedichotomybetweenfactandfiction.Notjustinhiscase.Ingeneralterms,thepolice,thecourtsandfictionaretwentyyearsbehindtoday'scriminalreality.Thatrealityisextremelytough,dangerous

andprettyscary."

So,RenéFrégni,whoformanyyearsranwritingworkshopsatLesBaumettesprisoninMarseille,wasright:theblueoftheMediterraneancanseemverydarkinMarseille.It'seasytounderstandwhythemoviesconstantlyreturntothisportthatissofertileinamazingstories.Andthat'swhatRichard

Berryshowsbysettingtheshootingofhis"immortal"herointheparkinggarageundertheOldPort.Thesea,crime,tragedy,eternity...Lettherebelight.It'sallthere!

"Marseilleisthesymptomofauniversalfever"

Marseille,cityofrebels,ismuchmorethanabackdropfor22Bullets.Throughthehistoryofitsvery

specifictiestotheMafia,RichardBerryfilmsMarseilleasaclusterofdeeperparadoxes.

Ofcourse,nothingquestionssociety'sestablishedorder,andrevealsitsindiscretionsandparadoxeslikeafilmnoir.Andwhatbettersettingthanarebelliousoldportwhosescamsandcross‐culturalmixcontaintheebbandflowofmoreuniversaltensions?Whichiswhy22Bulletsrootsitsturbulent

darknessinMarseille,nottocondemntheincorrigiblecityorreduceittothesumoflocalmisdeeds,buttosituatethecityinabroadercontextandculture."Marseilleisasymptom,"saysRichardBerry."That'swherethefeveris,butyoucanfindthesamethingalloverFrance,acountryofrebelsand

protesters."

It'sanotherwayoflookingattheconvulsionsoftheMarseilleunderworld.DrawingitsinspirationfromthestoryofJackyImbertandfreelyadaptedfromFranz‐OlivierGiesbert'seponymousnovel,themoviesoontranscendsanecdotalrealismtooptforthetoneandrhythmofagreatfable—thatof

amanonthedifficultifnotimpossiblequestforredemption."Usingatruestorythat'sbecomepartofMarseille'sculture,Iwantedtoshowhowyourpastalwayscatchesupwithyou,"saysthedirector."Yourculture.Youridentity.Inthisinstance,hisidentityisthatofamafiagodfather,butthe

fundamentalquestionis,Howeverwellyouintegrate,tosomebodyelse,aren'tyoualwaysaBreton,aJeworwhatever?"

Auniversalquestion,indeed,whichRichardBerrycouldn'thaveaskedanywhereelsebutMarseille."Thiscityisaculturalcrossroads,arefugeandahaven,wherehistoricallypeoplehaveoftencometo

hideout,"addsthefilmmaker,whoresearchedhismovieforoverayearbeforestartingtowritethescript."ButMarseillealsohasarealworkingportthatgeneratesbusiness,unlikeNicejustdownthecoast."Finally,Marseilleremainsarebel.Asmuggler'sparadise,literally,symbolicallyandsometimes

politically.Theviolencethereisdifferent.It'smorepassionate."

Rebellious

InMarseille,rebellionisnotjustaposeoremptywords,ofwhichmanyswirlaroundMarseillewhenthemistralstartstoblow.Fortress,piratecity,thencityexemptedoftaxes,Marseille'shistoryspeaksforitself—ahistoryofcenturiesofindependence.EveryinhabitantofMarseilleknowsthatLouisXIV

builtthefortsofSaintJeanandSaintNicolasfirstandforemosttoprotecthispower,directingthecanonsnotatanythreatfromthesea,butatthecityitself.

"Perhapsthisrebelliousnessisperpetuatedthroughthemafia,"musesRichardBerry."Iguessit'ssurprisingthattherearen'tmoreFrenchfilmsrootedinthatculture.Withthismovie,Ihopetoshake

thingsup."Becausedeepdown,beyondthisuniversalstoryofredemptionandidentitythatisperfectlysuitedtothecontextofMarseille,thequestionis,"Whatarethelimitsofourgenerosity?"

Andifweknowthem,"Canwetransgressthem?"Andthere'snothinglikeafilmnoirsetinMarseilletocomeupwithananswer.

CAST

Charly Matteï Jean RENO Tony Zacchia Kad MERAD Martin Beaudinard Jean-Pierre DARROUSSIN Marie Goldman Marina FOÏS Pascal Vasetto Luc PALUN Aurelio Rampoli Richard BERRY Pistachio Joey STARR Ange Palardo Dominique THOMAS Franck Rabou Martial BEZOT MaleTelaa Daniel LUNDH Eva Matteï Joséphine BERRY Anatole Matteï Max BAISSETTE DE MALGLAIVE

CREW

Director Richard BERRY Screenplay Richard BERRY, Matthieu DELAPORTE and Alexandre de la PATELLIERE Dialogue Richard BERRY, Matthieu DELAPORTE, Alexandre de la PATELLIERE and Eric ASSOUS Music Klaus BADELT Producer Pierre-Ange LE POGAM Director of Photography Thomas HARDMEIER Film Editor Camille DELAMARRE Sound Amaury de NEXON

First Assistant Director Ludovic BERNARD Production Designer Philippe CHIFFRE Costume Designer Carine SARFATY Wardrobe Stylist Vincent DUMAS Production Manager Franck LEBRETON Line Producer Didier HOARAU