‘The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch’ is Cliché Drowned in French Style

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Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – From what I understand, the name Largo Winch is a household one in Europe. While it may mean nothing here, a French spy thriller with a name like “The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch,” based on a European comic book, might sound like the perfect alternative for arthouse movie goers looking for something different this holiday weekend. Sadly, from the very beginning, “Largo Winch” feels like nothing different at all. It’s surprisingly generic, clichéd, and often dull, with only a few set pieces and dashes of French style to separate it. Far from a complete disaster, but forgettable in nearly every way.

“The Heir Apparent” opens as a number of thrillers have – with the death of a very rich man. One minute, Mr. Nerio Winch (Miki Manojlovic) is lounging in his bathrobe on a boat, the next he’s being pulled underwater and drowned by a silent assassin. It is revealed that the poor waterlogged millionaire was the head of the Winch International Group, a shady, powerful organization with ties around the world. Their exact purpose is never clear, kind of like Blofeld’s dealings in the Bond movies or Halliburton.

The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch
The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch
Photo credit: Music Box Films

Nerio Winch must have known that he would have numerous enemies throughout his life, for we learn that many years ago he adopted a Croatian boy and had him raised by another couple. You see, he needed an heir. As the powers that want to take over WIG battle in the boardroom, Ann Ferguson (an always luminous Kristin Scott Thomas) reveals the existence of Largo Winch and things get overly complicated from there. What are Ann’s motives? What about the looming takeover of the company? How can a dashing young Croatian man save the company? It’s half an hour before the plot really gets going with Largo’s prison escape and you’re unlikely to care when it does.

When Largo finally arrives in the boardroom, he makes his intentions to solve his father’s murder (which everyone thinks was accidental) clear, and the piece becomes an odd hybrid of corporate intrigue and spy/action movie — corporate takeovers and gun fights. It’s “Margin Call” meets 007. A man comes into the boardroom to reveal something and gets shot in the eye. It’s a film that attempts to blend boardroom drama with James Bond-esque action and the blend doesn’t quite take. Heated conversations about Largo’s rights and who will takeover the company don’t have quite the intensity that the filmmakers think they do.;

The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch
The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch
Photo credit: Music Box Films

“The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch” is a piece dripping in European style. Most of the dialogue, when not trying to explain the complex takeover plot, drips with exchanges like: “What’s your name?” “Largo.” “Largo what?” (Long pause.) “Largo.” The grown Largo is played charismatically by Tomer Sisley, the best thing about the film, and he holds the screen with a unique style that’s neither overly intellectual nor overly brutish. He sometimes reminds one of Vincent Cassel or Adrien Brody, two actors who can be convincing both as the toughest and the smartest people in the room. Sisley could easily crossover to interesting work stateside if teamed with the right director.

“Largo Winch” is one of those movies that globe trots seemingly just for the sake of doing it. It’s a film in French, English, Croatian, Serbian, and Portuguese, as if being multi-lingual will make it more culturally interesting. The location hopping only disguises a lack of depth or character worth giving a damn about. As the piece builds to a rooftop confrontation with another major revelation – of course, it has to end on a skyscraper – I realized I not only wasn’t sure of the character’s motivations, I didn’t really give a damn either. “The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch” is one of those movies that doesn’t do anything particularly wrong – it’s reasonably well-acted and well-made – but simply isn’t memorable enough for anyone to say that it does much right either. Save for a charismatic lead, the always-welcome presence of Kristin Scott Thomas, and a few fun set pieces (the prison escape, the rooftop fight), “The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch” doesn’t distinguish itself from countless other thrillers. A cool name only gets you so far.

“The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch” stars Tomer Sisley, Kristin Scott Thomas, Miki Manojlovic, Melanie Thierry, Steven Waddington, and Gilbert Melki. It was directed by Jerome Salle and will be released on November 25th, 2011 at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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