Full Speed

Stories in life don't always end happily. The characters head on at full speed and meet their fate. The drama hits you.

Gael Morel, the young star of Andre Techine's "Wild Reeds" pays homage to Techine in his work as a director. His feature film, "Full Speed" contains on this DVD his similarly themed short film "Countdown" as a special feature on the disc which stars the charismatic star of "Wild Reeds," Stephane Rideau who in "Full Speed" plays "Jimmy" (like James Dean) and in "Full Speed" shares star billing with "Wild Reeds" star, Elodie Bouchez (Julie). Morel adds into the mix a Sal Mineo-type played by Mezziane Bardadi ("Samir") and perhaps like an extension of his own character in "Wild Reeds" the youth made good in the entertainment business, this time as an author played by Pascal Cervo (Quentin). It is almost enough to see these characters play out their "Wild Reeds" roles, but Morel adds a timeless but updated version of the youth classic, "Rebel without a Cause" to a quite interesting story. All of the actors are good. There is all star quality here. Morel has gotten quite good also behind the camera, there are some nice, exquisitely photographed scenes. The music makes one want to see a "Full Speed" soundtrack. Like "Wild Reeds," "Full Speed" is gay friendly, but speaks to a wider audience.

absolutely adore stephane rideau & being teamed with benjamin farmer i was in heaven both had great parts & played to perfection

Sorry attempt at showing how Arab men live in French African culture. Nasty, brutal, homophobic groups of men supported by loose women. Not worth the cost.

Full Speed [A toute vitesse] reunites three of the best young stars to come out of France in a long time: Stephane Rideau and Elodie Bouchez, directed by Wild Reeds co-star Gael Morel. The viewing experience of some films is enhanced by watching another one first. This is the case here. Before you watch this movie, go out and buy (that's right, don't rent, buy) The Wild Reeds [Les roseaux sauvages]. At Full Speed is fine by itself, no question, but you'll enjoy it a lot more if you watch The Wild Reeds first. It was made by André Téchiné two years before. For those who don't know, André Téchiné is a wonderful Frenchdirector who has a certain knack for beautifully-filmed movies. Even from watching one of his movies you can pick up on his techniques. Well, Gaël Morel, the director of this movie and one of the stars of Reeds picked up so much from Téchiné that he decided to make movies himself. After several shorts made-for-tv, some starring Rideau, this is his first major motion picture. Unless you knew for sure that Téchiné was not the director you'd swear he made Full Speed. All his little trademark techniques are there. Morel starred in Reeds with Rideau and Bouchez, and one of the plot elements was the Algerian war in the 60's. In Speed, Morel has Rideau and Bouchez together again, with the Algerian war is a plot element, retrospectively though, as At Full Speed is set in modern times. Further, these actors, Rideau and Bouchez, both wonderfully talented in their own right, went on to star together in several other movies, and Morel directed them in a few of those. Kind of like a French brat pack. Stéphane Rideau is one of these French sex-symbols, and any film he's in is worth watching. He's been compared to a modern-day James Dean. Set in a Paris suburb, in Full Speed we see Rideau (Jimmy) as a rebellious but sensitive young man dealing with his best friend Cervo's sudden fame as a young author. Bouchez has the same trouble in her relationship with Cervo. The distance between them all increases when a young gay Algerian with a story to tell steps in. Rideau and Bouchez hook up, and Cervo doesn't seem to care about them anymore: he has the young Algerian to write about. He wrote about Rideau, published his story, and now he's moving on. This all goes on against a background of a modern French ethnic suburb. A variety of emotional set-tos take place amongst the four characters illustrating betrayal, isolation, loneliness, and introspective conflicts, all ending tragically. Critics claimed that Full Speed was sometimes disjointed, with scenes that seem to have nothing to do with what's going on, or an ending that makes no sense at all (as is sometimes the case in French movies, you're left wondering what happened). But in this movie, while the continuity may not be as didactic as some mainstream blockbuster moviegoers might like, the connectivity is apparent if the viewer pays attention and listens to what's going on, something sorely lacking in North American audiences. Whether this is possible by simply reading sub-titles is unclear, so try to follow the dialogue if you can understand French. This movie is a fine first major effort on the part of Morel, and most of the credit for its success goes to Rideau and Bouchez. And André Téchiné too for sure. And Morel knows it. A must-see for both Rideau fans and for fans of French dramas featuring attractive young men and women. But remember, see The Wild Reeds first to enjoy this one more. Rideau and Morel are reunited onscreen once more by Techine in Loin, another must-see French movie.

"Out" magazine may write that "Full Speed""plays like a modern 'Rebel without a Cause' or 'Splendor in theGrass,' but this French film fails to really take off for its intended destination. In fact, it comes as somewhat of a disappointment.It is director Gael Morel's debut film (Morel starred in the five-star "Wild Reeds" by Andre Techine) and more power to him in future films, but here the metaphor of speed to life lumbers a bit in its symbolism. Granted, it has its moments, but its aim seems to meander a bit, leaving a few loose ends. Cinematically, of course, the film stands strong (Certainly as a debut film for its director, it deserves accolades.).And while it was an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival, "Full Speed" never really gets out of first gear. Morel concentrates on an eternal quadrangle--three men and a woman--and quickly exploits and exposes their weaknesses--all of which cresendo at a great speed on the one hand, but when moving into second, it begins to run out of gas.Hailed by some as a Gay Achievement in Film, that may be, but its meaning and its beauty founder.

Excellent!

I think this was made in 1999, I'm not sure, but this was the first time I'd seen it since around then. I remember my first impression was that it was a depressing film which focussed too much on human frailties rather than the positives of the characters. I still have this impression today tempered somewhat by admiration for the beautiful way in which Morel puts together both introducing the four main protagenists and then builds the narrative to the tragic climax. It's quite an achievement for a debut and has, of course been followed up by further compelling features exploring gay relationships such as 'The Clan'(2004) and 'Our Paradise'(2012).The plot concerns a quadrangle of young friends from varying backgrounds and their interpersonal relationships. Julie (Elodie Bouchez) loves Quentin (Pascal Cervo) but so does Samir (Merlane Bardadi)who has lost his true love violently. Later, Julie falls for Jimmy (Stephane Rideau) who is friends with them all. The catylist which ruptures and eventually destroys this foursome in tragedy is that Quentin finds success by writing about the lives of these friends only disguising their names. With success he changes and ruthlessly exploits both Julie and Samir in order to further his writing career. His final 'betrayal' is of Jimmy.The metaphor of full speed in life represented by Jimmy's motorbike rides doesn't really hit home but the story is compelling enough to deserve four stars. The cast are uniformly excellent and in an early role Salim Kechiouche leaves his mark. In a story such as this, believability is a major factor and here, despite what I would call slight glamourisation (the exquisite scenery and sexy cast) it is achieved.Extras include a good short 'Countdown' featuring Rideau and a trailer. In French with good English subtitles. The seller (a US import) gave excellent service however this is the second Region 1 dvd I have purchased recently from sellers advertised as Region 1 which actually played perfectly well on a normal dvd player. As Region 1 dvds appear to attract a premium price I think this should be looked at by Amazon.

Da ist Quentin, jung, Franzose, und gerade frischgebackener Autor. Sein Erstlingsroman über die Situation von eingebürgerten Einwanderern, oft schon in der dritten Generation, sorgt für Aufsehen. Dann wäre da Jimmy, Sohn von besagten Einwaderern, der in Quentin nicht nur seinen besten Freund sieht, sondern auch seine Hoffnung, ein Leben jenseits der Ghettos und Arbeitslosigkeit zu führen.. Das ist die Grundstory des Films, der Film an sich ist mehr eine betrachtung der vier Hauptfiguren denn eine plakative Geschcite von A bis Z.Gael Morel drehte "Full Speed" mit der Darstellerriege aus Andre Techines "Wilde Herzen", dem Film, in dem er selbst sein Debüt in der Filmszene feierte - allerdings damals noch als Schauspieler. Zusammen mit Elodie Bouchez und Stephane Rideu knüoft er fasst nahtlos an "Wilde Herzen" an - wenn auch nicht inhaltlich, so doch von der grandiosen Stimmung, und aber auch der Grundproblematik her, Jugendliche unterschiedlicher Mileus, die aufeinander treffen, zwar Freunde sein wollen, die unterschiedliche Herkunft aber PRobleme bereitet. Julie, mit eigener Villa auf dem Land, Quentin, der aufstrebende Autor aus der Mittelschicht, der aber nicht recht weiß, wo sein Platz im Leben ist,, Jimmy, der hoffnungsvolle Querkopf aus dem Ghetto, und Samir, der schwule Araber, der nicht über den Tod seiner Jugendliebe hinwegkommt.Insgesamt ein großartiger Film eines jungen Ressigeurs, der hoffentlich noch viel mehr Filme macht.

Irgend wie schien mir dieser Film sehr aktell, obschon er doch vor ein paar Jahren gedreht wurde. Musleme und unsere Kultur und dann die Gefühle zu entdecken Homosexuell zu sein. Die Machokultur der Araber trifft auf die Westliche Welt. Mir hat der Film darum sehr gefallen, weil er recht gut darstellt welche Konflikte alleine durch die unterschiedlichen Kulturen entstehen können und wie wichtig es ist das beide Seiten lernen tollerant zu sein. Auch der Hass auf Homosexuelle, welche in diesem Streifen schon etwas brutal dargestellt wird, hat mich nachdenklich gemacht. Ich finde das die Empfindungen der jungen Menschen: Liebe - Freundschaft - Brüderlichkeit etc. sehr gut dargestellt wurden. Mein Fazit: Ein guter Film,(wenn man die französiche Sprache beherrscht ist das ein klarer Vorteil) , der sehr beeindruckend ist und leider sehr tragisch endet.

It's dull/boring not much action at all,your lucky if there's even a fight in it.I wouldn,t even classify this film in the gay and lesbian section.