THR: A decade-spanning gangster epic that lacks both the stylistic grandeur of Goodfellas and the vibrant charisma of Mesrine, cop-turned-cineaste Olivier Marchal’s The Lyonnais (Les Lyonnais) plays like one action-packed TV series squeezed into the confines of a feature film. Unlike the director’s grittier policier dramas 36th Precinct and MR73, this retelling of real-life criminal Edmond “Momon” Vidal’s turbulent career provides a predictable mélange of 70s kitsch and Mafioso clichés, yet sans a veritable emotional arc to accompany its flashbacking narrative.
