Ruby & Quentin
¡Que te calles!
- Director
- Francis Veber
- Screenplay
- Francis Veber
- Producer
- Aurelio De Laurentiis, Luigi De Laurentiis, Saïd Ben Saïd, Filmauro, Gérard Gaultier
- Music
- Marco Prince
- Cinematography
- Luciano Tovoli
- Editing
- Georges Klotz
- Production company
- UGC
Cast
What it is about
Ruby is a hired gun who, after losing his boss's trust, lands in prison for hiding a fortune in stolen money. While he keeps stubbornly silent behind bars, the system assigns him a cellmate: Quentin, a chatterbox who wears out everyone who has shared a cell with him. Ruby only wants some peace, but Quentin is determined to become his friend. The forced cohabitation leads to a hasty escape, and the pair are hunted by the police and by the men of Vogel, a crime boss who wants the money back. Quentin clings to an old dream of opening a restaurant, and the story moves between chase, farce and an unexpected loyalty between two men who have little reason to get along.
How it was made
Ruby & Quentin was written and directed by Francis Veber, who also wrote the screenplay. It was produced by Aurelio and Luigi De Laurentiis, Saïd Ben Saïd, Gérard Gaultier and the company Filmauro, with UGC credited as production company. Jean Reno and Gérard Depardieu lead the cast, alongside Leonor Varela, Richard Berry, André Dussollier and Ticky Holgado. Luciano Tovoli shot the film, Georges Klotz edited it and Marco Prince composed the score. The shoot took place in France, and the Hôtel d'Avaray served as one of its locations. The comedy mixes the verbal humour of its two leads with chases and shoot-outs typical of action cinema, within a prison-film setup that quickly moves onto the open road.
Reception and legacy
The film premiered in France on 22 October 2003 and in Spain on 20 August 2004. Running 85 minutes, it is a comedy-crime caper that relies mainly on the chemistry between its two stars. Its main draw was the contrast between Reno's restrained style and Depardieu's exuberant one. Within Veber's career it sits with his comedies about mismatched partners, though its reach beyond France was limited. Its place in film history is modest, but it is remembered as an example of popular French comedy of its era.
Stills
Trivia
Argentinian title
In Argentina the film was released as Ruby y Quentin: Dije que te calles!, a variant that made the lead pairing clearer.
Historic location
The shoot used the Hôtel d'Avaray, a stately building that served as one of the film's locations.
More films by Francis Veber
The Dinner Game
The Closet
The Toy
Knock on Wood
The Fugitives
Three FugitivesOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.