the audience applauded

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

It's the second effort from René Manzor I watch after "le Passage" (1986) which was a turkey and this one is several notches above at the level of quality.If you were fond of the linear but absorbing "Primal Fear" (1996) and the stylish "Fight Club" (1999), then, "Dédales" may appeal you. It is an offbeat crossing between the two quoted flicks and you will be able to make the rapprochement between them only at the end of the film which contains an "de Rigueur" unexpected twist and because "c'est à la mode". That said, the expressions I used to describe it are not to be meant pejoratively. Yes, it's highly far-fetched and hardly credible but it ends a captivating thriller with a scenario. Manzor had the neat idea to incorporate the legend of the Minotaur as a basis for the starting point and the evolution of his story. Evolving on two ways: a few days before the arresting of Claude when a gloomy, young inspector (Frédéric Diefenthal) investigates about a series of murders committed by a serial killer and a few months after in a psychiatric hospital when doctor Brennac (Lambert Wilson) has to study a patient, Claude (Sylvie Testud) who suffers from schizophrenia and shelters multiple personalities, Manzor creates a sticky atmosphere for the former and a sultry one in the latter. He also served his film with a sharp editing and several sequences, especially the end will leave you on the edge of your seat.There's a good cast: Lambert Wilson is excellent, Sylvie Testud, one of the luminaries in the contemporary French cinema confirms if it was necessary the full extent of her acting skills. Michel Duchaussoy provides a palatable secondary role and Frédéric Diefenthal, unrecognizable with his disheveled hair and beard shows he can be a good actor apart from the "Taxi" saga.The movie was broadcast late at night on the sixth French channel a week ago. They're usually duds which are broadcast at this hour of night but here it was a bit unfair to shelve it this way!

For anybody interested in Schyzophrenia related movies (FightClub, A Beautiful Mind etc..), This movie is a MUST-SEE! Great cut, no useless redundancies, "Viewtiful" photography, very dark without being over-stylized, Fantastic acting and overall, Wonderful plot.Anyway, stop reading this already, GO see it yourself! And.. It's wise to plan 4 hours in front of you, since you'll probably want to see it twice.(I don't know if the US version is well dubbed, but the french version is really successful. So, if you're not allergic to subtitles, try to see it in its original language.)

If you really enjoyed watching Identity, look at this amazing french movie, and enjoy the French touch ... The screenplay is a real masterpiece and the director's cut is awesome. The actors talent will surprised you from the beginning to the end, and the story will keep you in a staggering suspense...

I left the Paris theater hours ago and yet my mind is still haunted by the amazing images and sound design of this French masterpiece (far from being the typical boring and arrogant 'film d'auteur'). It's the story of Claude (played by Sylvie Testut, with a true Oscar-caliber performance here), a 25-year old mentally ill girl who happens to be France's worst ever serial killer (27 victims discovered half decomposed in the 800-year-old maze of Paris' catacombs). Her trial sentencing is pending, for the judge is waiting for Claude's 3-month psychological evaluation. She is sent to a High Security Mental Institution, which Director, Dr. Karl Freud, requires the second opinion of Brennac (played by French star Lambert Wilson, The Merovingian-Cursing-in-French-Virus-Program from 'The Matrix Reloaded'), a subdued psychiatrist, and ask him to figure out the multiple personality disorder that affects Claude beyond belief and to solve the reasons behind her horrifying killing spree in Paris undergrounds. We then enter Claude's dark mind while recurring flash-backs (starting 6 days prior to Claude's arrest) help us to better understand and enjoy the increasingly confusing yet fascinating plot.Well, this is basically an AMAZING film à la "6th sens" (concerning the completely unexpected final twist) with a GREAT look (the photography is constantly bleached and "grainy") and impressive sound design. I also truly enjoyed the acting, like Frederic Diefenthal, the goofy cop from the "Taxi" action movies, who plays here a moody Paris P.D. freelance Profiler, giving useful tips to the investigators combing the crime scenes in a dark and rainy Paris, far far away from the picture perfect Eiffel Tower or Champs Elysees. The sound design is extremely well developed and comes on cue, at moments you least expect. Not a single shot is useless or redundant and the final twist is not as pointless or predictable as in 90% of today's Hollywood movies of similar genre.I bet this picture will get the attention of those West coast execs who lack such thing as imagination that they will feel they need to buy this French movie just to get the adaptation rights. Anyway, if you've got that picture playing in a theater near you, it's well worth your $10 !! My vote: 8/10.