Growing up in the shadow of greatness can’t be easy. In the case of Romain Gavras he had to contend with the undeniable genius and political savviness of his father, Constantinos Gavras (Costa-Gavras). Whilst I’m sure their relationship hardly hampered his career, Romain has without doubt forged his own path. The main commonality in the films and music videos he’s directed is a mixture of lavish style and gritty realism. The World is Yours is no exception but approaches its subject with a sense of mirth.
Farès (Karim Leklou) is a small-time dealer with a big dream of running a Mr Freeze ice-pops franchise in North Africa. When he discovers his crooked mother (Isabelle Adjani) has gambled away his savings, he has no option but to pull one last job for Poutine (Sofian Khammes), the new local kingpin. His task is complicated by a hackneyed gangster (Vincent Cassel), two tracksuited wide-boys, a dangerous love interest (Oulaya Amamra) and an unreliable Scotsman (Sam Spruell).
First and foremost, The World is Yours is a comedy in the similar vein to Luc Besson’s brilliant 1998 film Taxi. It’s marvellously madcap and ruthlessly relentless. However, whilst not containing the same acerbic political commentary of his father’s work, there’s a certain cutting critique disguised amongst the humour. In many ways it’s as much a political commentary of modern France as it is a criminal caper. These are not the faces you’d expect to see in this kind of film. As you’d expect, Gavras using music brilliantly to create an atmosphere which mixes danger and high jinks. It all adds up to make The World is Yours refreshingly irreverent.
The World is Yours is out in cinemas from 26 April
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