So I just watched MR-73. First of all, let me just make it very clear this is not a movie for everybody. It is very deep, very intense and very French. I myself am a fan of French cinema, particularly crime thrillers, so I watched this with high expectations. It did not disappoint.
The casting was excellent - I genuinely felt pity for the protagonist, contempt for the antagonist and I wanted the heroine to earn her happy ending. The score is also superb, with harsh, ominous orchestral music accentuating the already harsh nature of the film. I shouldn't need to tell you the cinematography was also brilliant - it's something the French are quite well known for, after all, when it comes to film-making. The story is well-done: it isn't anything particularly special - a deadbeat and alcoholic police officer takes on one last case to catch a serial killer before he strikes again - yet it is done in such a way that it feels real and genuine - and if the trivia is to be believed, this is indeed based on a true story. Unlike most other movies like this, though, there is no happy ending. What happiness there is in the ending is minor, at best, and it barely makes up for the tragedy that befalls the protagonist through his own violition.
It is very clear from the start that there is no hope for the protagonist, a devestated and grizzled anti-hero with nothing to live for who knows very well he is on a path towards self-destruction. He drinks and smokes to excess and has problems controlling his temper. He is shown displaying kindness to the cat he rescues and it is clear there is some semblance of justice that he feels is worth fighting for; but, ultimately, it is not enough to redeem or save him. He is a tragic, yet earnest, figure, one who knows he is staring into the abyss and is well aware that he has only two choices: jump or be pushed in. There is no turning back. In the end, he chooses to jump, taking down the murderer and his brain-dead wife with him. While our heroine gives birth to a baby boy - which she names after the protagonist, a cliché that can easily be forgiven for a number of reasons - we witness our anti-hero's final descent into Hell as the scenes of his murder-suicide are juxtaposed with images of the newborn baby. It is a powerful and compelling scene that shows us how everything has come full-circle: in taking a life, he allows the creation of another life. At this point, the audience may well be clinging onto the hope that there may be some form of salvation for our protagonist, knowing well that the villain of the film is dead and the heroine is safe. The director may well have expected such hopes, as he has no qualms with crushing them before our very eyes. Yet it isn't done cruelly - by this point, the audience should know that there cannot always be a happy ending. There is no idealism in this movie, and even a staunch idealist like me has no problems in coming to the conclusion that such feelings can, at times, be foolish and naive. We know from the beginning the protagonist is doomed. He cannot be saved.
The movie is not one that holds punches. Everything is portrayed in full-on, gritty detail. Nothing is sugar-coated or hidden or made to look nicer. It holds a mirror up to what we, as human beings, are capable of, and it does nothing to make it tamer for its audience. It is very clear the director wants us to look at it and be horrified and ashamed. It is a dark, dreary and sombre film - and yet, it does not feel depressing or like it is trying to sadden us. It is realistic. It paints a very grim, yet sadly very true, picture of what life can be like in a world where there are not always white-hatted heroes coming to save the day and defeat the black-hatted villain. We are made to question the morality of the protagonist and the people beside him, whether they are any better than the murderer, the vile antagonist. Are these men doing what they must to protect some semblance of justice and humanity in a world that seems beyond saving, a world that does not care for them or what they do?
To summarise: it is not a movie for everyone. Do not watch this movie to waste time or pass away the hours and definitely not for a piece of light entertainment. It is deep, disturbing and very intense. Most people may feel compelled to turn away or switch it off when it gets to the darker moments if they do not know what they are watching. I reccomend you make sure you know what you are watching before watching it. It is a very heavy film, yet if you are willing to make the effort to watch, understand and appreciate what it has to show us, then you will almost certainly not be disappointed.
I came into this expecting a good action film that would be enjoyable to watch. I left drained and with a deep impression left, but in the best way possible. Highly reccomended.