Cast
What it is about
Pursued by armed rivals after a bank robbery, thief Sydney Thomas takes refuge on the quiet residential street where he grew up with his mother, Maniette, who still lives there. An unscrupulous property developer, Korazy, is buying up the houses in the neighborhood to build a new banking district, and Maniette leads the residents in resisting him. Her clever methods win her son's admiration, but he answers with traps and dirty tricks when she tries to get him to do the right thing, just once in his life.
How it was made
Written and directed by Albert Dupontel, who also stars as Sydney, The Villain is a 2009 French comedy running 86 minutes. The cast includes Catherine Frot as Maniette, Bouli Lanners as Nick Korazy, and Christine Murillo as Spanish teacher Carmen Somoza.
Reception and legacy
The sources consulted do not detail its critical reception or awards, so its reach cannot be stated precisely. It belongs to the French comedy of the 2000s and mixes farcical plotting with neighborhood resistance, a territory where Dupontel's role as both writer-director and lead performer is central.
Stills
More films by Albert Dupontel
See You Up There
Bye Bye Morons
9 Month Stretch
BernieOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.