Le dernier diamant (2014) Reviews

• Thrilling and smart caper heist like good ol' days

  ArchonCinemaReviews2014-12-12

  French film Le Dernier Diamant (The Last Diamond) is a thrilling caper about a thief trying to steal a mythical diamond by daringly conning its owner. In Le Dernier Diamant, Simon, a thief released on parole who just can't stop himself from performing larceny with his favorite partner in crime Albert, played by Jean-François Stévenin. He agrees to orchestrate the biggest heist of his life, to steal the "Florentin." A 137 carat mythical diamond finally being brought out from private ownership to auction. To succeed, he must get close to Julia, a diamond expert, for whom the sale is of considerable personal importance. Yvan Attal plays Simon, the cunning con-artist who just can not say "No" to daring theft of substantial difficulty. Julia is played by Bérénice Bejo, a beautiful, confident and smart auction dealer. The chemistry between the two actors is playful and quite engaging for the audience. Further, all supporting characters are unique enough to differentiate the film from just your average caper flick. Le Dernier Diamant, which translates to The Last Diamond in English, has a heist especially expertly written and directed by Eric Barbier. The brunt of the beginning of the film lays the groundwork for the eventual complicated theft and interpersonal character development. It is funny, lighthearted and all-in-all an enjoyable romp of a film. Interestingly the robbery occurs in the middle of the movie, rather than follow the stereotypical formula for a heist movie in which the con occurs in the last third of the film. After which Le Dernier Diamant's tone switches from comedic popcorn cinema to suspenseful drama. It takes a bit of a nosedive with this serious tone but maintains a solidly entertaining flick and commendable addition to the genre. For more FULL reviews of ALL the recent releases, please check out our WEBSITE.

• Just entertaining

  searchanddestroy-12014-05-05

  Nothing more than entertaining. Far away from THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, this pleasant crime flick is not boring at all, well acted and filmed. But unfortunately totally destroyed by the silly ending. For silly audiences because of whom we Watch so many craps - among crime or films noirs, I mean, not comedies. In resume forget Jean-Pierre Melville or Olivier Marchal's atmospheres here. A total waste, if you dare comparing. This feature is not a comedy, and neither exactly a drama, as it is described above. You can Watch it whilst eating your popcorn, and forget it afterwards. An ex con is asked to pull a daring heist, the stealing of a fabulous diamond. The caper itself is interesting, and the characters around it not uninteresting. You find here the usual elements that you may expect in this kind of films. No surprise. Good suspense, and some twists. An acceptable time waster. Nothing more.

• Diamond Geezers

  writers_reign2016-01-24

  This is a French heist movie in the tradition of Rififi and Le Cercle Rouge but with a touch of the David Mamets and more advanced technology. It was actually released in France in 2014 and given that it features a gang cutting their way into a vault via tunnels and then crawling through who's to say that the recent perpetrators of the Hatton Garden robbery here in London didn't see it in France and implement some of its ideas. Leading man Yvan Attal, a veteran of 50 films as an actor, 5 as screenwriter and 7 ad director is blessed with the kind of face that can look villainous one day - see Bon Voyage - and thoughtful the next - see his own And They Lived Happily Ever After whilst Berenice Bejo is no stranger to caper movies albeit more tongue- in-cheek - she appeared with Jean Dujardin in the OSS-17 franchise and she and Attal make a good team. On the whole it's a very entertaining entry and should please fans of the genre.

• Refreshing.

  Nemesis422017-07-29

  I liked it as it did not get too dark, and this is a break from the common thriller fare. Energising score, perfect acting, writing and direction. Beholding the appearance and character of the female lead, absolutely beautiful, is escapism in itself. The story layers upon itself with not so predictable moves, where some parts are a little predictable. But hey, if one wants something light, a balance of predictability and innovation works well. Thoroughly enjoyed this, and will be honing in on more French films as a result.

• The French can really rock these heist films

  blanche-22017-07-05

  French film Le Dernier Diamant (The Last Diamond) is another example of the French's way with a crime caper film, this one from 2014. Simon (Yvan Attal) is released on parole but gets right back into the robbery game with Albert (Jean-Franccois Stevenin). The heist is for the famous Florentin diamond, 137 carats being sold at auction. The plans for the theft are exceedingly complicated. Simon must somehow win the confidence of the woman handling the auction, Julia (Bérénice Bejo), who is taking the job over from her recently deceased mother. Simon tells Julia that he worked closely on security with her mother on her biggest assignments. This wins him entree to her hotel room, her safe, and ultimately her bed. Wonderful in its complexity, Le Dernier Diamant manages to have humor as well as drama. You'll wonder what's going on when the heist takes place so far from the end of the film, but fear not, there's much more to come. One thing I liked about this is the follow-through with Lisette, the dog. It sounds like a small detail but often in films these details are ignored, leaving animal lovers like myself left wondering. Very entertaining.