Le Fidele (2017)

Directed by: Michaël R. Roskam | 130 minutes | crime, drama | Actors: Matthias Schoenaerts, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Eric De Staercke, Jean-Benoît Ugeux, Nabil Missoumi, Thomas Coumans, Nathalie Van Tongelen, Fabien Magry, Sam Louwyck, Stefaan Degand, Kerem Can, Aïcha Cissé, Vincenzo De Jonghe, Gianna La Rocca, Dimitry Loubry, Gael Maleux

With Matthias Schoenaerts (‘De rouille et d’os’) and Adèle Exarchopoulos (La vie d’Adèle’), ‘Le fidèle’ has two hotties and enough firepower for a top film. The chemistry is also fine and that is necessary, because in the first half of the film the two stick together like maddened bees. He is a working class hero with a secret, she a rich man’s daughter with a car racing career. We like that, a bit of fusion cooking in the romantic area, as is also practiced in ‘De rouille et d’os’. Another movie, corn bon.

The ‘Brussels Riviera’ is called the environment where Gino (Schoenaerts) and Bénédicte (Exarchopoulos) meet. At parties and car races, bankers mingle with the underworld, to which ‘Gigi’ belongs. He sells himself to her as a car exporter while robbing banks. Gigi is a big kid – a quiet boy at the same time, while ‘Bibi’ likes to explore the edges. That clicks of course. The love story fascinates from the start, while initially little more happens than expected.

Infatuation inspires confidence, while the viewer already knows at a simple traffic stop that Gigi is shitting his pants for the police. The sex scenes are sizzling. You come to love these two and that is a wonderful starting point for a director, because after half an hour he can go in all directions with the viewer, who willingly lets himself be carried along. A casual scene with Bibi’s father (Eric De Staercke) should set the action in motion, but Roskam prefers to speak with images, with a remarkable role for dogs. Director of photography Nicolas Karakatsanis does this with allure.

In the meantime, we as viewers don’t get to see much of Gigi’s robbery skills, but that’s good planning. The robbery that Roskam eventually presents us is worth it because of its simplicity. It is precisely at this stage that the excellent Exarchopoulos gains the upper hand in playing time, with a remarkable plot twist as driver. A choice with which the film threatens to run aground rhythmically. This viewer eventually got his money’s worth because both protagonists believe in each other, but Roskam gambles with gold in his hands. ‘Le fidèle’ is the Belgian entry for the Oscars.