I started this once and stopped because, for god's sake, how much green screen can one person take? It came around again and soldiered on this time and...for god's sake, how much green screen can one person take? The whole conceit of trying to make the French Revolution look sexxxxxxy is ridiculous. The plot, which I didn't understand has a hole as big as Depardieu's nose: Did they really have the technology for unbreakable mirrors in the 1870s? Yes, I know it's fantasy but everything on the screen screamed "2000AD steampunk" rather than "period costume". Almost every single effect served not to enhance the plot but to make you stop thinking about it. "Is that street real or CGI?" You don't want your audience asking this question or at least *I* don't want to ask this question. The plot? Um..a journalist is looking for...some guy. A whole bunch of special effects happen. There's some pretty people. Some ugly people. A little nudity. A big fight at the end and who really knows what happens or why.It's probably a great movie to get baked and watch but, sadly, I don't smoke weed anymore.

I was attracted to this movie because of the Alchemist, which with that mask is indeed an interesting Villain. And I thought, with Depardieu it can't be that bad. I was wrong. All actors give horrible performances, way over the top. And while this was a main disturbing factor which prevented me from enjoying the movie, there was an even major disturbing factor, the way the movie is filmed, with a special (digital?) camera which supposedly grants excellent detail in close- ups at the expenses of the depth of focus, with the advantage of "easy and cheap" post-production special effects, like another reviewer wrote. Well, it seems like, you know when your grandma gets the new Chinese camera from the 1 Euro shop with all those useless crappy special functions to add watermarks or whatever to the pictures? That. The director is just playing (with incredible bad taste) with this special camera, abusing of close-ups of very over the top expressions of this or that actor, with the depth of focus and realistic look of a cheap video game, and with terribly cheap special effects (specially fire and explosions). Only well done thing, the mask of the alchemist. But nobody needs a whole movie for that. And the story itself was so childish, so low level, not well developed at all. This movie, with a real camera, with a real director, with some better actors, could have been excellent. But it is awful.

As a friend's recommendation, I took on "Vidocq" in my movie arsenal. The plot is forever thick and leaves you guessing until the end. Twists and Turns, and an Originality that keeps you locked in your seats. At times you will find yourself wrinkling your nose to some of the eroticism presented in this film, while at the same time captivated by the uniqueness of the concepts and situations which occur throughout the film. It's a "double wrapped" present, sort of how it would be to get a gift in a box, in a box. Overall quality is pleasing to the eye and stimulating to the brain. I continue to recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a good thriller, or mind bending visual experience. However DO keep in mind the rating is exact and to the point. "R" for a reason. Enjoy!

I gave 10 just to improve the rating, because this movie is freeway better than average level. May be the story is quite trivial, but the picture is brilliant! Almost every frame is like from paintings of great artists, the colours, gamma are like from masterpieces of Gustave Courbet or Eugenie Delacroix. You can fill the atmosphere of that time. After seeing the movie, I was quite curious and sniff the Web for extra information about Vidoque as a person. Reading some articles I found that Eugène François Vidocq was real man, who lived 1775 – 1857, he became from a criminal to one of the first private investigators. There are some unbelievable and magic stories about him. By the way, it was interesting to know that the story has routs. So that I think it's great movie. Alexei Karaghiaur, artist