Les doigts croches (Movie Review)

Movie Review
Les doigts croches
2009
Starring: Roy Dupuis, Patrice Robitaille, Aure Atika
Directed by: Ken Scott

Ken Scott’s Les doigts croches is a peculiar film. It’s not particularly bad but it does feel quite unpolished in some spots. For the most part, it’s an enjoyable movie to watch with an interesting story supplemented with some fascinating characters. However, it’s not a seamless production and there are some things that don’t quite make sense. Some would say that if a movie is enjoyable, then it’s easy to ignore the quirks but unfortunately for this film there are too many glitches that come out of left field that make it make it questionable whether most people will enjoy this film or not.

A rag-tag bunch of bank robbers nearly pull off one of the greatest heists in Canadian history. However, things go awry and most of the group gets thrown in jail. Lucky for them, they were able to hide the money and the police were never able to find it. After two years in jail, they’re finally released and anxious to get their hands on their stashed money. However, the only guy on the crew who escaped throws a monkey wrench into the works. He wants to know if his crew have changed while in prison for the better and will only give them the money if they walk the Way of St. James in Spain and make a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela to prove that they are worthy. However, not only are they just as mischievous as ever, they have trouble getting along as the stress of not being able to get their hands on their “hard-earned” money is causing them to snap at one another. Charles (Roy Dupuis) tries to act as a leader and corral everyone into cooperating so they can get their money however he’s got bigger problems than the rest. His girlfriend, Madeleine (Aure Atika) has snuck into Spain and is travelling along with the group disguised as a nun to keep an eye on everything.

The story does seem sort of farfetched but it’s still enjoyable. What really helps everything are the characters. The personality clash between the gang is really enjoyable and aids in supporting the film despite the shaky premise. Everyone plays off of each other well and even though you can tell that Dupuis is the star of the show, he doesn’t bask in the spotlight and allows for everyone to play their role without being cast in the shadow. This helps in the delivery of the dialogue as everything that is said and done feels incredibly natural. From the constant bickering on the side of the road to the camaraderie they show when they aren’t fighting amongst each other, this ensemble cast did a fantastic job.

That being said, the script lets everyone down more than anything. As stated before, the story is a bit weak but there are other elements that cause the screenplay to handicap the film. The character arcs seem very artificial as some of the character developments either feel rushed or dropped in to complete the ending. It wouldn’t be a problem if there was any foreshadowing but some of the personality changes are so sudden that it becomes taxing for the viewer. Another issue is Madeleine. While (Atika) does a great job in the role, the inclusion of the character seems both random and unbalanced. It feels completely preposterous that she’s even on the trip to begin with. It also feels illogical that nobody on Charles’s gang could figure out that she’s his girlfriend and only masquerading as a nun. Although, it is amusing that she seems way more smart than any of the members of the gang and does a good job at being able to manipulate people. It’s just feels like the character was overused.

Les doigts croches is a fun film but it really does feel like a tossup whether one would like it or not. I enjoyed Ken Scott’s film but I would find it hard to find fault with someone if they didn’t care for it. At least the twist at the end is clever even though I sort of saw it coming and pretty much called it long before the final credits. Still, the jokes are funny, the drama is solid when present, and the cast did a really good job with their performances.

☆☆☆