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Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille

Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille (2004) Movie Poster
France / Germany / UK  •    •  92m  •    •  Directed by: Didier Poiraud, Thierry Poiraud.  •  Starring: Vanessa Paradis, Jason Flemyng, Benoît Poelvoorde, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Venantino Venantini, Vincent Tavier, Bouli Lanners, Jacky Lambert, Dominique Bettenfeld, Mar Sodupe, Vincent Belorgey, Daniel Cohen, Gaëtan Chataigner.  •  Music by: The Little Rabbits.
        James Bataille is in love with Concia, a chanteuse whose father, Bosco, runs the only nightspot in the tiny town where they live. The mechanically inclined Bataille attempts to stage an elaborate motorcycle stunt to impress Concia, but when it goes sour, he ends up in prison with a 133-year sentence. Desperate to help Concita and raise some money, Bataille escapes from behind bars to make an appointment to fix the car of music biz tycoon.

Trailers:

   Length:  Languages:  Subtitles:
 0:54
 
 0:54
 
 
 0:48
 
 
 2:51
 
 

Review:

Image from: Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille (2004)
Image from: Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille (2004)
Image from: Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille (2004)
Image from: Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille (2004)
Image from: Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille (2004)
Image from: Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille (2004)
Image from: Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille (2004)
Image from: Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille (2004)
Image from: Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille (2004)
Image from: Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille (2004)
Image from: Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille (2004)
Image from: Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille (2004)
Image from: Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille (2004)
Image from: Atomik Circus - Le retour de James Bataille (2004)
This work could be the strongest contender for this title. It's incredible that the Poiraud brothers were able to find a bucketful of producers to finance their hare-brained project. Maybe because they feared to see where all the millions of Euros had gone, they didn't want to see the finished product before it opened in France in the summer 2004 and one could add in particular conditions. There were neither screenings for the specialized press in cinema nor trailers on the telly or at the movies. Personally, I remember very well when I went to see "Spider-Man 2" (2004) at the theaters. In the corridor leading to the room, I noticed a cover of the film but I didn't pay much attention at all about it. I didn't have the single inkling of the contents of the Poiraud's product. Anyway, their work was bound to disappear from the French theaters after a few weeks of screening. Commercial suicide in all its splendor which can be easily explained. How can you expect to make audiences flock to an amorphous story? At a pinch, the most curious ones might have been interested to have a look at it...

I must admit that it's not that much bad. Okay, anyone who will label this movie as a masterwork will be a liar and at first sight one would like to hammer "Atomik Circus: Le Retour De James Bataille" and to relegate it to purgatory but there are some valuable plus sides one can save from this wreckage. About the title: is it a misnomer? Given the various ingredients the Poiraud brothers put in their dish, one could agree that it's a real circus they have concocted. And what about James Bataille? Actually, one doesn't see him for nearly the half of the movie. He has just a few lines to say and the moments during which he has the meatiest part of his role finds itself at the end of the movie, especially during a fight. It is funny when one knows that Bataille means "fight" in French.

The outset of the film takes us to Skotlett, a lost dump where one wouldn't want to spend one's holidays populated with inhabitants with a redneck mentality. The tail end showcases a desert landscape which seems directly taken from "Planet of the Apes" (1968) or even a part of "Capricorn One" (1978), Peter Hyams' best effort. Between the two, two different subplots. On the one hand, Conchia (Vanessa Paradis) who is eager to take a chance in music. She's spotted by an unscrupulous manager Alan Chiasse (Benoît Poelvoorde) who's more interested in her look than her potential as an artist. On the other hand, James Bataille (Jason Fleyming) who strives to come back to Skotlett to find again her fiancée Conchia. Two conventional subplots which culminate with an invasion of aliens and it's virtually a rehash of the sci-fi of the fifties crossed with horror (there's blood galore and ripped bodies). If one plays the Poiraud brothers' game, if one accepts this unlikely mix of distinct cinematographic genres in a preposterous story, if one accepts this hustle of the narrative conventions, not taken seriously "Atomik Circus" is rather fun to watch. While reading the two subplots, one could detect something conventional in them but the directors try to thwart it through the unexpected like the alien invasion for instance. Also conventional is the final fight between Bataille and Chiasse transformed in an alien. You probably guessed the winner but the story isn't over and the predictable side of what follows is defused by an unexpected twist in the tail end.

These qualities mustn't make the lover forget that there are negative points in the Poiraud brothers'UFO. First, problems of rhythm: sluggish at the outset but wild with the carnage caused by the aliens. Then, two-bit tricks to bridge some steps of the story are difficult to swallow and the Poiraud brothers aren't virtuosos of the camera at all. There is a lot of hand-held camera, an amateur side and sometimes they botch the job. Same remark for a scenario which is sometimes ill-conceived. (The first draft encompassed many other things which weren't tapped during the shooting).

But if you're tired of walking safely in the landscape of French cinema, watch this mix of "Romeo and Juliet" and "Mars Attacks" (1996) as the press kit deemed it. It could have gained with a little more of attention and control. One last thing: the actors had fun by overplaying their characters who are real puppets. The cast includes Jean-Pierre Marielle who agreed to replace the sadly regretted Jean Yanne and I wonder what he would have done with his part. All of them said they really enjoyed the shooting and the vibe of the film and the set. You might also enjoy this film if you follow some of the possible instructions I mentioned earlier.


Review by dbdumonteil from the Internet Movie Database.

 
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