The Lost Son | |
---|---|
![]() DVD cover | |
Directed by | Chris Menges |
Written by |
|
Produced by | Finola Dwyer |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Barry Ackroyd |
Edited by |
|
Music by | Goran Bregović |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by |
|
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
Countries |
|
Languages |
|
The Lost Son is a 1999 crime drama starring French actor Daniel Auteuil and set in London. It was directed by Chris Menges.[1]
Plot
[edit]Xavier Lombard is a Parisian private detective based in London. His best friend is Nathalie, a high-class call girl. He gets a telephone call from an old friend in the Paris police department, now a businessman whose brother-in-law is missing. The missing man's parents hire Xavier over their daughter's objections, and he quickly finds himself caught up in the underworld of child sex slavery. He guesses that the lost son is dead and shifts his focus to finding and breaking this lucrative business of child trafficking. He gets a reluctant Nathalie to hunt "the Austrian", the shadowy head of the pedophile ring. Violence erupts quickly, and Xavier soon has little more to lose.
Cast
[edit]- Daniel Auteuil - Lombard
- Marianne Denicourt - Nathalie
- Nastassja Kinski - Deborah
- Katrin Cartlidge - Emily
- Ciarán Hinds - Carlos
- Bruce Greenwood - Alex Friedman
- Billie Whitelaw - Mrs Spitz
- Cyril Shaps - Mr. Spitz
- Jamie Harris - Hopper
- Cal Macaninch - Martin
- Hemal Pandya - Shiva
- Billy Smyth - "Boy No 6"
Reception
[edit]DVD Verdict panned the film, writing "The Lost Son has its heart in the right place, but it fumbles the ball by presenting an idea with great potential in a fairly lackluster package. There is not enough substance here to make the film worthy of a purchase."[2] The Herald was mixed in their review, stating that Menges "handles the unpleasant aspects in Eric and Margaret Leclere's script with tact" but that the film had too many unbelievable moments.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ ""On Guard"". 19 October 2002.
- ^ Pinsky, Mike (20 June 2001). "The Lost Son (review)". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
- ^ Russell, William (24 June 1999). "This one is a wrap, folks; New releases". The Herald (subscription required). Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
External links
[edit]- The Lost Son, by Eric Leclere (pub. Alibi Books 1999, London) - The original novel on which the film was based.
- The Lost Son at IMDb
- The Lost Son at Rotten Tomatoes