A young Frenchman from Jewish origin (Yvan Attal) decides to leave his native country and move to Israel in order to join MOSSAD. After a never-ending training program with plenty of physical abuse Ariel Brenner/Ari Eisenbach is finally granted access to the secret organization where his first mission is to gain access to a well-known French specialist in charge of a strategic nuclear program. Ariel is quickly sent to Paris where he befriends a sophisticated call-girl (Sandrine Kiberlain) who must seduce and eventually compromise the French specialist.

While discussing the specifics of the job Ariel and the call-girl grow fond of each other. But…she is a professional and so is he. The mission is completed and the unsuspecting Frenchman's rendezvous is captured on tape. Unfortunately it quickly becomes obvious that he isn't the right man for the job. MOSSAD are disappointed.

Back in Israel Ariel is asked to approach a second target, a middle-eastern man with a Ph.D in nuclear physics. Once again the call-girl is asked to use her seductive skills and compromise the new target during a trip to Paris. Unfortunately on the night when the doctor's sexual escapades are to be filmed a secret assassin eliminates him. Ariel is confused and so are MOSSAD. In the meantime the call-girl disappears without a trace.

Nominated for the coveted Palm d'Or during the 1994 Cannes Film Festival Eric Rochant's film Les Patriotes a.k.a The Patriots is as much of a fictional story meant to entertain as it is a truthful depiction of global espionage where unshaved men with thousands of different names pull the strings of a perilous puppet show. In The Patriots state laws, international laws, even family relationships are quickly disregarded in favor of questionable ideals serving even more questionable governments.

The core of Eric Rochant's film is built around Ariel's rise and consequently demise within a secret unit of MOSSAD controlled by an old fanatic known for his ill temper. As the young patriot goes through a sea of tests meant to "evaluate" his potential the audience is given the opportunity to witness a world quite different from what the latest James Bond production is likely to unveil. In it masterful demagogues are plotting the latest act of reprisal, the next "strategic expansion", the "final blow at terrorism".

The most curious aspect of this film however remains the provocative inclusion of a sub-plot that places Ariel in the heart of Washington DC where he approaches an American operative from Jewish origin working for the National Security Agency (NSA). At first the MOSSAD agent explains that since the US is an ally he does not need the American operative to spy on his country. MOSSAD is in the US to spy "from inside" the country not "on" the country. The outcome from the curious relationship between the two professionals however reveals a much different picture…quite different than what a Hollywood script-writer would have come up with.

Even though The Patriots was completed back in 1994 there is something unusually fresh about this film. With a talented cast that truly shines (Richard Masur, Bernard Le Coq, Emmanuelle Devos, and Sandrine Kiberlain, among others) Eric Rochant has managed to create a film evoking that heavy sense of melancholy mixed with nostalgia one is likely to uncover in the writings of John Le Carre. Only much of what Ariel experiences here does not seem that fictional to me.

Awards/ Recognition:

Nominated for Palm d'Or during the Cannes Film Festival in 1994 and nominated for Most Promising Actress Award (Sandrine Kiberlain) during the 1995 Cesars.

How Does the DVD Look?

I had great expectations for this release yet now I must regretfully report here that the check-disc I received is a tremendous disappointment. Ever since Synkronized DVD announced on their web site that Les Patriotes will be released in the US I was hoping for a stellar DVD…and what a letdown this is! Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and enhanced for widescreen TV's the image is rife with "ghosting". There is so much blurring on this check-disc that a few times I honestly got a headache looking at the fast action scenes. Now, given that this is not the final product (I truly despise giving final words on a release by evaluating a DVD-R check copy) I am hoping that the company will prove me wrong and their finished product would be a solid release that does the film justice but so far this is worst than a New Yorker PAL-NTSC "presentation". What else to say…colors are weak, contrast dodgy, and everything else we discuss in this section below average. (I hope someone from the company sends us a finished product so we could reevaluate the specs here).

How Does the DVD Sound?

An even bigger disaster!! Presented with a shabby French Dolby Digital 2.0 track (and large portions of Hebrew) and burnt-in white English subtitles (part of the actual print) the audio is just about average. It is loud but not of the quality a DVD audio is meant to be. Once again, I hope that this is due to the fact that I only have a check disc in my hands and the finished product will sound quite different.

Extras:

Only a few trailers for other releases from Synkronized DVD.

Final Words:

I was so excited about having this DVD release on the market (after having been truly impressed by the company producer's La Parola Amore Esiste DVD) and now I am very, very upset. The DVD herein reviewed is anything but professional (and I hope that when the final product is sent to vendors around the country much will be different). Even the back cover of the DVD has Sandrine's last name misspelled: for the record it is not "Kimberlane" it is "Kiberlain"!!! How can you have the front cover with the original poster art correct and then come up with a completely different name on the back?? Did two different teams work on this release?? A quick look here might be helpful:http://www.sandrinekiberlain.com/