For whatever reason American Westerns have always played well in France, from Alan Ladd, John Wayne, Kirk Douglass, through to Randolph Scott & Audie Murphy. Just as films about the American Native Indians did (and still do) in Germany. I knew very little about this movie before watching and glad that was the case. It wasn't until reading about it later I noticed it being touted as a modern 'remake' of Ford's "The Searchers". I saw no connection (other than a mild story thread) and feel that 'remake' is sort of a long bow to draw. It is however, a topical examination of the present times - with observations on the surge of Muslim immigration across the globe - here, focusing mostly on a provincial village in France.While a local family attend a festival for American country music, their teenage daughter goes missing. Seems she's run off with a young Muslim to seek a new life. Dad is determined to bring her back no matter what the cost and, it's going to be high. His search covers several grotty situations in Paris then heads overseas. It's at this time the movie changes gear with an unexpected, very well staged car accident that has a life-altering impact on both the family of the daughter and the boy she ran away with. What follows is an epic trek into the Middle East and back, with equally unexpected results.This is modern movie-making at its most intriguing with first-class performances and superb cinematography. Why something this well made has been overlooked mystifies me. Trailers I have seen for this movie would not convince me to see it - they all look as if aimed at a 12 year olds mentality. The accomplished screenwriter, and for this work also director (first feature) Thomas Bidegain creates a compelling study - complete with his own dabbling in the above-average music score - which is mostly composed by Raphael Haroche, ably assisted by co-composer and orchestrator Moritz Reich. There's much to enjoy in this involving drama even to the point of being unsure if dad's interest in his daughter may be a little more intense than it should be (he certainly is an over-intense sort of fellow) or simply the love of a caring parent. It's a story recommended for thinking audiences - that holds a good pace, as it spans a couple of decades while never outstaying it's welcome.

A passel of good old boys and girls wrapped in American flags, sheriff's badges and denim are they're doing what comes naturally: hoe-downin' and boot-stompin' and a-signin' the sappiest of hurtin' songs (yo, 'Tennessee Waltz'?). Then it hits you: they're actually wearing 38-liter Stetsons because they're all French. Indeed, there's a subset of Frenchmen that is besotted with America's Old West (as are Germans with American Indians), and we are delighting in this charming foolishness when it's suddenly clear that Alain's daughter is missing. Alain and his wife are subsequently astounded to learn that she has dropped all her old friends, taken on serious boyfriend, that he's Muslim, and that he and she have utterly disappeared. Alain's hunt for her becomes increasingly obsessive, violent and dangerous as he is duped or cheated by various Muslim contacts, more or less ignored by the authorities, and frustrated and humiliated at every turn. Save for an enigmatic visit from a fonctionnaire identified only as a government minister from 'the ministry,' everything hands together; the story is mesmerizing and fraught with tensions. Then circumstance require that Alain's son, Texanly named Kid, take over the hunt. Here begins a series of high- risk scenes and episodes that are equally mesmerizing but devoid of logic or even the remotest likelihood. They are nevertheless convincing in and of themselves, but if you require logic and likelihood, too bad. For example (spoiler!): early on Kid is out of the blue working for an NGO in Pakistan or Afghanistan (I forget which) where he falls for a fellow do-gooder but leaves her like that on meeting a shabby and dubious American freelance 'fixer' (fabulous John C. Reilly) who's going on horseback with $800,000 in gold to ransom two guys from the Taliban and doesn't trust his creepy local guides and so gets Kid to ride along as bodyguard by telling him he can get the sister back. If that won't work for you, beware: things are about to get a lot worse. This didn't bother me; I just rolled with it. But a companion hated every minute and also detected a flash of incest re father and daughter. Proceed at your own risk.

This magnificent movie is for me a terrific tribute to the western genre in many points and to John Ford's THE SEARCHERS in particular. Two men - father and son - leave everything to search for a runaway female relative, daughter and sister. A wayward girl who escaped from them. The main difference here is that the Muslim community replaces the Indian one. I also thought of Paul Schrader's HARDCORE, where Georges C Scott was also in search of his daughter, lost in the porno underworld. That's a true poignant overwhelming story that made me weep and also brought a terrific unexpected sequence, just in the middle of the movie. I don't want to spoil you this feature but, believe me, you'll be more than surprised. Hollywood film industry would have never given us such a movie, for sure. Awesome ending and an outstanding François Damiens.

I caught this movie at the Toronto International Film Fest and quite liked it. It's the kind of movie that sticks with you for a few days after you watch it. I don't think it's meant to be a remake of The Searchers as some reviewers have posited, except in the fact that it follows a families search for their daughter, who has converted to Islam and run away from home.The plot is a generational epic that follows the story of a French family torn apart in degrees by the departure and search for their daughter. Over the course of the film, the protagonist changes, refreshingly breaking from formulaic Hollywood precedents. The first leg of the film follows the father, who is obsessive and ego- centric in his search for his daughter. The second part of the film follows his son as he picks up the quest and demonstrates that that the sins of the father are not always visited upon the son. Thematically, the story is built around the idea of contemporary Europe and the Muslim world being a clash of civilizations, much like the cowboys and indians. It is not a classic Western by any stretch, but thematic and aesthetic elements are there to get across the comparison. All in all, I thought it was a beautiful and ultimately hopeful movie... worth a watch.