The Last Diamond (2014)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Well executed and entertaining but contrived. There's not much chemistry between the two leading parts. A meticulously staged drama with a whimsical jazzy score. Unfortunately it is not dark enough as a serious heist film, or as a caper it needed the con-artist to show more expression of his love for the one he steals from.

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.

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.

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.