IMDb >
Dobermann (1997)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsDobermann (1997) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 8 | slideshow) |
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
18 June 1997 (France) morePlot:
The charismatic criminal Dobermann, who got his first gun when he was christened, leads a gang of brutal robbers... more | add synopsisNewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Jan Kounen’s Dobermann Finally Gets A Decent DVD (From Twitch. 8 April 2009, 8:43 AM, PDT)
Efm 2009: Coco Chanel And Igor Stravinsky
(From Twitch. 10 February 2009, 6:44 AM, PST)
User Comments:
The faint of heart need not apply... moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Vincent Cassel | ... | Yann Le Pentrec aka Dobermann | |
| Tchéky Karyo | ... | Inspecteur Sauveur Cristini | |
| Monica Bellucci | ... | Nathalie / Nat the gipsy | |
| Antoine Basler | ... | Jean-Claude Ayache, dit "Moustique" | |
| Dominique Bettenfeld | ... | Elie Frossard, dit "l'abbé" | |
| Pascal Demolon | ... | Lefèvre | |
| Marc Duret | ... | Inspecteur Baumann | |
| Romain Duris | ... | Manu | |
| François Levantal | ... | Leo | |
| Ivan Merat-Barboff | ... | Silverberg | |
| Stéphane Metzger | ... | Olivier Brachet, dit Sonia | |
| Chick Ortega | ... | Jacky Sueur aka Pitbull | |
| Patrick Rocca | ... | Commissaire Clodarec | |
| Florence Thomassin | ... | Florence | |
| Roland Amstutz | ... | Jo Hell (Oncle Joe vieux) |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for pervasive strong violence and language, and for drug use and sexuality.Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
103 minCountry:
FranceAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreCertification:
Iceland:16 | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Germany:18 (nf) | Ireland:(Banned) | Italy:VM14 | Mexico:C | Norway:18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | South Korea:18 | Germany:BPjM RestrictedFun Stuff
Quotes:
Yann Le Pentrec aka Dobermann: [shoving Cristini's head out of the high speed moving car onto the road] Free shave tonight moreSoundtrack:
Dobermann (Bienvenue dans le chaos) moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Dobermann (1997) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| The Dark Knight | Classe tous risques | White Heat | Heat | The Spider Returns |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Action section | IMDb France section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |









DOBERMANN
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Super 35)
Sound formats: Dolby Digital / DTS
A psychotic police detective (Tchéky Karyo) pursues a gang of armed robbers led by the ultra-charismatic 'Dobermann' (Vincent Cassel).
A colossal one-fingered salute to the bland, homogenised pap dominating international cinema at the time of its release, DOBERMANN not only set debut director Jan Kounen on the road to cinematic glory, it also helped kickstart an aggressive upsurge in ultra-commercial European cinema (the "Taxi" series, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF, CRIMSON RIVERS, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, etc.), begun two years earlier by Mathieu Kassovitz's equally subversive LA HAINE (1995). Fans of political correctness need not apply: DOBERMANN is loud, excessive, obnoxious and morally ambiguous in equal measure, and while some viewers may be unable to reconcile themselves to the action and violence of Kounen's raucous worldview, others should cling onto their seats and prepare for the ride of a lifetime...
As the above plot synopsis attests, Kounen and scriptwriter Joël Houssin (upon whose pulp novels the film is based) have stripped the plot down to its barest essentials and constructed a series of instantly recognisable character-types (saint, sinner, braggart, dimwit, etc.), thereby liberating Kounen to indulge his true objectives: To push the boundaries of cinema to their absolute limits. DOBERMANN is a swirling tornado of audiovisual delights which unfolds via shock cuts, hurtling camera-work, loud explosions and in-yer-face action set-pieces, a heady mixture of Hollywood gloss and Hong Kong stuntwork ramped to the max. You want subtle? Try Merchant Ivory. THIS movie wants to gouge your eyes out!!
The cast is toplined by French superstars Cassel and Monica Bellucci (they married in 1999), playing the antihero and his ultra-loyal partner in crime, and they both manage to carve a niche amidst the film's visual excesses, while Dobermann's misfit gang includes Stéphane Metzger (TRANSFIXED) as a beautiful drag queen who supports his loving, unsuspecting wife and family via prostitution. But the movie is stolen clean away by Karyo as the deranged cop on Dobermann's tail, an irredeemable psycho who's prepared to break every rule - legal and moral - to bring his nemesis to book. However, the audience's loyalties are tested when one of Dobermann's gang (the 'good' guys) shoots an inexperienced rookie cop for no other reason than he happens to be within range during a bank robbery, an incident which pegs the characters as dispensable lowlife scum. But this outrage is balanced by a subsequent scene in which Karyo (the 'bad' guy) invades a birthday party and forces Metzger to betray Dobermann's whereabouts by threatening the younger man's newborn child, before revealing Metzger's drag queen alter ego to his horrified, clueless family. Though the scene is cruel and uncompromising, Kounen isn't interested in queer-bashing a sympathetic character, merely demonstrating the moral corruption of Karyo's villainous detective; the drag queen is written and played with quiet dignity, and Metzger's 'fate' for betraying Dobermann under duress is both amusing and redemptive...
Houssin's scenario builds to a frenzied showdown in a fancy nightclub, where Dobermann's gang defend themselves against an army of gun-toting police officers, and Karyo finally confronts his mortal enemy, culminating in an explosion of horrific violence. You have been warned! In fact, the script's antisocial attitude is perhaps a little TOO crude and excessive in places, but the director signals his intentions late in the film when a drug-addled gangster goes to the toilet and uses pages from 'Cahiers du Cinema' to, er... clean up after himself (if you catch my drift)! Tired of adhering to the established confines of critical acceptability, Kounen and his production team have fashioned an instant cult classic, one which defies convention and spits in the face of diplomacy. Acting and technical credits are top-notch throughout.
(French dialogue)