Coming back from everything and ready to end his life, an old Russian clown experiences a burst of energy following a long chase.
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Title: Le sourire du clown (1999)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Ticky Holgado | ... | Ian | |
| Bruno Putzulu | ... | Lucas (as Bruno Putzulu de la Comédie Française) | |
| François Berléand | ... | Drouot | |
| Vincent Elbaz | ... | Smalto | |
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Jean-Claude Dauphin | ... | Vogel |
| Pascale Arbillot | ... | Hélène | |
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Vanille Attié | ... | Daphnée |
| Edouard Montoute | ... | Alex | |
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Alexandre Arjilovski | ... | Kiriakov |
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Yvon Back | ... | De Renn |
| Jürgen Vogel | ... | Youri | |
| Samir Guesmi | ... | Le chômeur métro | |
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Pierre Cassignard | ... | L'homme violent |
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Christophe Aquillon | ... | Zamoun (as Christophe Aquilon) |
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Pascal Jaubert | ... | Sliman |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
A room, a bed, a tired man. The finger on the trigger. The gun to his temple. The firing pin slams into the void - Apparently, its time has not yet come. Yet Ian no longer wants to live. This old Russian clown, lost in a shabby hotel, thought he had reached the end of his path. A shooting resounds in the hallway. A man rushes into Ian's room and collapses, dead, on his bed. A moment later, his pursuers burst into the room. The old clown turns his revolver over to defend himself. A survival reflex, but also the starting point for a long chase. Ian wanted to die, but the danger seemed to give him the strength to fight back. And then now he's not alone. He must also save the skin of Lucas, a young priest who took him in after finding him injured in the street. Soon the trap closes on the two fugitives. But the clown's smile is not always innocent.
Plot Keywords:
prague czechoslovakia | moscow russia | violence | soccer | romanian |Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
FranceLanguage:
FrenchRelease Date:
21 July 1999 (France) See more »Also Known As:
The Clown Smiles See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
EUR3,400,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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Bad Russians are after a disk featuring secrets from nuclear
companies. After a failed and bloody attempt, they run after the
fall guy, a suicidal clown, who gains help from a tormented
would-be priest while a grumpy detective is on the trail. Sounds
familiar ? Yes, this basic plot has been used for countless
direct-to-video thrillers. But the fact that this is a French
film with a distinct flavour gives it an honorable twist, and
obviously, the filmmakers never intended it to be more than
entertainment. The characters, though clichéd, are honestly
drawn, the acting is very good and a crisp, lush cinematography
helps disguise an obvious low budget. Ticky Holgado really
shines as this ambiguous, sad clown who turns out to be much
more (The title is ironic, since he never smiles), and his
clown/mime antics are delightful. Nothing impressive, just a
nice little B-movie, unpretentious but crisp, a cut above your
average TV movie.