Above the Law (2017 film)
2017 Belgian film
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Above the Law (French: Tueurs) is a 2017 Belgian-French crime thriller film directed by François Troukens and Jean-François Hensgens.
Jean-François Hensgens
Olivier Bronckart
- 10 December 2017
| Above the Law | |
|---|---|
Film poster | |
| Directed by | François Troukens Jean-François Hensgens |
| Produced by | Jacques-Henri Bronckart Olivier Bronckart |
| Starring | Lubna Azabal Olivier Gourmet Bouli Lanners |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Countries | Belgium France |
| Language | French |
It had its world premiere at the 74th Venice International Film Festival on 5 September 2017.[1] It received nine nominations at the 9th Magritte Awards, including Best Film and Best Director for Troukens and Hensgens, and went on to win Best Actress for Lubna Azabal.[2]
Plot
Frank Valken, a career criminal, commits a bank heist with his crew. Upon leaving the bank, a group of hitmen arrives and kills witnesses, of which among them is a judge who was investigating a 30-year-old case of unsolved mass murders of Brabant. The killers from 30 years ago seem to have come back, and the police have arrested the wrong perpetrators.[3]
Cast
- Lubna Azabal as Lucie Tesla
- Olivier Gourmet as Frank Valken
- Kevin Janssens as Vik
- Bouli Lanners as Danny Bouvy
- Tibo Vandenborre as Santo
- Bérénice Baoo as Nora
- Anne Coesens as Hélène
- Johan Leysen as Jean Lemoine
- Natacha Régnier as Véronique Pirotte
- Jean-Louis Sbille as Minister Van Bollen
- Slimane Dazi as the prison officer
Reception
The film received positive reviews.[4] Jessica Kiang of Variety wrote: "While hardly boasting the most original of plots, it is informed by an authenticity rare for this popular genre with its pre-packaged tropes and formulae."[5][6]
Accolades
| Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magritte Awards[7] | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best Director | François Troukens and Jean-François Hensgens | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Olivier Gourmet | Nominated | |
| Best Actress | Lubna Azabal | Won | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Bouli Lanners | Nominated | |
| Most Promising Actress | Bérénice Baoo | Nominated | |
| Best First Feature Film | Nominated | ||
| Best Sound | Marc Engels, Thomas Gauder and Ingrid Simon | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Jean-François Hensgens | Nominated |