Suspect number one: trapped by the police ***

Daniel Light (Antoine Olivier Pilon), trapped by the RCMP, is found in a prison in thailand.

July 8, 2020

Updated July 10, 2020 4h02

Suspect number one: trapped by the police ***

Eric Moreault

The Sun

CRITICISM / Daniel Roby book with Suspect number one in the feature film the most ambitious, both on the substance and form of his filmography. Shot in English with Antoine Olivier Pilon and Josh Harnett, the film director tells the story of how a drug addict from quebec is caught by the RCMP and ended up in jail in Thailand. The drama has many strengths, but her willingness to marry the three points of view adds to a story that could have been conducted with more pace.

The film resumes in the outline of the true story of Alain Olivier — who becomes Daniel Light, interpreted by Pilon (Mommy, 1:54). In 1989, while he planted trees in British Columbia, the young Québécois are indebted to Glen Picker (Jim Gaffigan), a wheeler-dealer as an informer for the police.

The latter convinces him to go to Thailand and bring back the heroin to clear his slate. Picker this Lightweight sergeant Frank Cooper (Stephen McHattie) as an important leader of the network. The investigator, humiliated of not having obtained a promotion, takes the bait and does firmly-held even when all the alarm signals will turn on.

This is after the arrest of Light as the investigative journalist Victor Malarek (Harnett) on the scene. This will discover the pot to the roses and to denounce the fact that the young man has been used as a pawn in a police mistake that the canadian government is trying by all means to hide.

By doing this, Suspect number one book is a powerful plea for freedom of the press and the rights of the person. Of course, it is matter of injustice — blatant in this fiction — and of resilience. But Daniel Roby wanted to go beyond “anecdotal” to provide a more comprehensive totalitarian leeways that can arise even in a democracy.

However, it would have had to remember: who too embraces embraces evil. The film follows its course, with the round-trip time, from the point of view of the victim, the naïve, the brave canadian journalist (Malarek risk everything, career and family, to get out of the story) and the sergeant scoffed.

While delivering the perspective of the filmmaker on the whole. It is a lot. And this was not really necessary. This Express of midnight (Alan Parker, 1978) to the quebec wanders around too much for his well — sometimes it is necessary to make painful choices in the editing. One would have to sacrifice the state of mind of the police officer as well as several scenes in British Columbia (the character of Mary played by Rose-Marie Perreault proves to be totally superfluous).

Moreover, these are the battles of Light and Malarek who can generate the most interest. The first fight for its survival, the second for that the truth broke out.

In this regard, the scenes in the prison thai are the most successful. We knew Antoine Olivier Pilon, very talented, Suspect number one just confirm a charismatic presence, certainly, but also a registry of game remarkable.

Suspect numéro un: piégé par la police ***

The choice of Josh Harnett in the role of the journalist Victor Malarak also proves to be particularly advantageous.

Les Films Séville

The choice of Josh Harnett in the role of Malarak is also particularly a good idea. The american actor makes us forget his years of poster boy in blockbusters such as Pearl Harbor.

The feature-length film by Daniel Roby (Funkytown, Louis Cyr) also benefits from the superb photography Ronald Plante (La Bolduc, Monsieur Lazhar…) — Suspect number one wins to be seen on the big screen !