Largo Winch, 2008.
Directed by Jérôme Salle.
Starring Tomer Sisley, Mélanie Thierry, Kristin Scott Thomas, Miki Manojlovic and Steven Waddington.
SYNOPSIS:
When a wealthy business tycoon is found dead his adopted son and heir suspects foul play and sets out to protect his father’s estate and avenge his death.
Prior to viewing this film I’d never heard of Largo Winch – star of illustrator Philippe Francq and writer Jean Van Hamme’s popular Belgian comic-book series, along with Van Hamme’s own series of novels from the 1970s – both of which serve as the inspiration for writer-director Jérôme Salle’s second feature. However, with annual sales of half a million in Salle’s native country, it seems that a lot of Frenchmen are familiar with the character and as such, they’ve been rewarded with an ambitious European attempt at a Hollywood-style action thriller. And, unless the theatrical adaptation of Largo Winch takes tremendous liberties with its source material, I would imagine fans were quite pleased with the result.
Conceived as a James Bond / Jason Bourne-style franchise centring on the adventures (and misadventures) of ‘adventurer, assassin, killer, maverick and international playboy’ Largo Winch (Tomer Sisley), the film serves as an origin story that sees Largo assume control over the business affairs of his adoptive father Nerio Winch (Miki Manojlovic) after the billionaire is found dead in mysterious circumstances (well, as mysterious as being pulled over the side of your yacht and drowned by a Scuba diver in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour can be).
Hitherto unknown to the general public, Largo was plucked from a Croatian orphanage back in the early 80s and secretly groomed by Nerio to inherit his empire, although naturally his ascension to the head of the powerful Winch International Group proves unpopular both with Nerio’s business rivals and his own boardroom. Faced with the threat of a hostile takeover – not to mention traitorous stockholders seeking to gain control of the company from within – Largo sets out to prove his prove his lineage and unmask his father’s killer and, as with any good billionaire’s crusade, his efforts to unravel the conspiracy take in plenty of fisticuffs, high-speed car chases and promiscuous women across a host of exotic locations (talk about a lottery win).
Although it may be inspired by recent entries into the spy genre, Largo Winch is probably best described as a ‘corporate thriller’. The boardroom sections and indeed the character of Largo himself reminded me very much of Bruce Wayne and his dealings with Wayne Enterprises in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, although of course he doesn’t adopt quite such extreme measures in his quest for justice. Meanwhile flashbacks interwoven with the main storyline explore Largo’s Citizen Kane-like relationship with Nerio, adding a narrative depth that is all too often lacking from the action genre.
The well-staged action set pieces are complimented by Salle’s competent direction and a suitably suave performance by comedian-turned-actor Sisley, along with a strong supporting cast including Brits Steven Waddington (The Last of the Mohicans), Benedict Wong (Sunshine) and Kristen Scott Thomas (Nowhere Boy). Although only recently enjoying a belated straight-to-DVD release here in the UK, Largo Winch has already done enough on the continent to warrant a sequel (Hollywood star Sharon Stone joining proceedings for The Burma Conspiracy, set for release in 2011) and while I’m unlikely to rush out and snap up every volume of the comic-book, I’ll certainly be back for the follow-up.
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