''Cash'' (sometimes stylised as ''Ca$h'') is a French crime caper film from 2008, directed by Eric Besnard and starring

Jean Dujardin Jean Edmond Dujardin (; born 19 June 1972) is a French actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in Paris before guest starring in comedic television programmes and films. He first came to prominence with the cult TV series ...

Jean Reno Juan Moreno y Herrera-Jiménez (born 30 July 1948), commonly known as Jean Reno (), is a French-Spanish actor. He established himself as a Leading actor, leading man of French cinema through his collaborations with director Luc Besson, and has w ...

Valeria Golino Valeria Golino (born 22 October 1965) is an Italian actress and film director. She is best known to English-language audiences for her roles in '' Rain Man'', '' Big Top Pee-wee'', and '' Hot Shots!'', where she performed the "olive-in-the-belly ...

and Alice Taglioni.

Plot

A cleaner goes into the office of a banker. He tells the staff to leave then proceeds to change into a suit and place a picture on the desk of two brothers. Lardier, a courier, arrives and the man proceeds to explain to him that he has several financial options available. However a cell phone rings and Lardier hands it over to the man. The caller, who is angry, shouts down the phone. Uncomfortable the man tries to leave but is shot with a silenced pistol several times by Lardier. The man who died was the brother of Cash. Cash is under surveillance by Lieutenant Julia Molina from Interpol. He is part of a gang who are running a

confidence trick A scam, or a confidence trick, is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using a combination of the victim's credulity, naivety, compassion, vanity, confidence, irrespons ...

on a group of mercenaries – led by Letallec – who think they are buying impeccable

printing plate Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ...

s for counterfeiting Euros. On returning to her headquarters, she is informed by her boss, Barnes, that another senior agent, Finley, are both in the running for his job. She asks if she can follow Cash in order to get an arrest that would help her promotional chances. Molina also discovers that Maxime, a master-criminal, is back in town and that her rival has an investigative advantage. Molina then observes Cash as he begins work on his next victim, Garance, a wealthy heiress. However the mercenaries – who have discovered that the plates are fake – catch up with Cash forcing him to flee through the streets. Molina eventually catches up with Cash in her surveillance vehicle and offers to hide him inside. She then uses this opportunity to force him to take her into his confidence. Cash explains he is running a con on the wealthy father of this heiress. He asks Molina to accompany him to a charity auction the man is hosting at his home in the country. Following the event, in which Cash paid €18,000 to help protect a hippopotamus in Africa because he started to have feelings for the daughter, the rich father is revealed to be none other than Maxime who ran the charity auction as his own con on Cash and his gang. His "daughter", who turns out to be one of his gang, berates Cash for being such a sucker for love. Maxime also explains that the con was to see whether Cash was smart enough to join his own gang; but he failed. He is told that another man, named Vincent, will have his role. In revenge Cash loses at poker in order to palm off a few fake euro notes to the gloating Vincent, who is picked up later trying to use them at racecourse. Cash then gets the call that he will join the gang. Maxime explains that they are to do a heist on the French Riviera. They are going to steal €30million worth of untraceable diamonds from a ruthless South African mine owner who is going to use the stones to pay his mercenary army that protects and controls his business interests. Maxime runs through an elaborate plan – to break into the hotel's vault – where each team members plays a pivotal role. In a private moment, Maxime also reveals that he knows Molina's real identity but states she can join in and get her share if she helps. But when Molina returns to

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

she is greeted by LeBlanc and LeBrun, two charmless agents from Interpol's Internal Affairs division in Brussels, who are looking into the backgrounds of the candidates seeking promotion. They question Molina about her investigations and her methods. They also mention that they are looking into rumors that some of the money seized in raids had gone missing. Molina goes to the

pool hall A billiard hall, also known as a pool hall, snooker hall, pool room or pool parlour, is a place where people get together for playing cue sports such as pool, snooker or carom billiards. Such establishments commonly serve alcohol and often ...

owned by Cash's mentor, François. Cash explains that Maxime now needs all of them for the job. Barnes and Finley pick up Lardier after a tip off. During questioning they start to get around to the killing at the bank a year before. Molina finds LeBlanc and LeBrun waiting in her flat after trashing it looking for evidence in their own investigations. The gang has rigged the hotel with CCTV and ask Molina to monitor them. However the mercenaries that bought the fake counterfeiting plates turn up and grab Cash. Seizing the moment that this commotion brings, François goes to the South African mine owner's room with a gun to grab the diamonds. François explains that his gang is double-crossing Maxime while they go down to the hotel vault. The jewels were never placed in any safe, they are really in the South African's room. Molina says she will go with him. But just outside the door she takes François' gun. The Interpol agent then enters the room, pistol whips a guard, and takes the jewel case for herself. After being tripped by a little boy, she eventually escapes in one of the gang's waiting boat but not before shooting one of them on the way. The little boy walks up to Garance and cries "mummy" who is then joined by Cash. The con is then explained. Maxime was working with Cash to set up Molina because she ordered Lardier to kill Cash's brother. He died because she realised he was conning her out of the money she had accumulated from skimming confiscated loot taken in her Interpol raids. When she tripped, the gang switched the jewel case. Molina now realises she's been set up for the robbery and the mercenaries are intent on killing her. The entire gang, including Letallec and Vincent, gather on the hotel terrace and toast themselves and Cash's dead brother.

Cast

as Cash *

as Maxime (Dubreuil) *

as Lieutenant Julia Molina * Alice Taglioni as Garance * François Berléand as François *

Caroline Proust Caroline Proust (born 18 November 1967) is a French classically trained actress best known to international audiences for her role as Captain Laure Berthaud in the French TV series '' Spiral''. She has also appeared in the Netflix TV series Not ...

as Léa *

Samir Guesmi Samir Guesmi is a French actor. Filmography Actor Filmmaker Theatre References External links * 1967 births Living people French male film actors French male television actors Male actors from Paris French people of Algeria ...

as Fred * Cyril Couton as Mickey * Eriq Ebouaney as Letallec *

Ciarán Hinds Ciarán Hinds ( ; born 9 February 1953) is a British Northern Irish actor from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Hinds is known for a range of screen and stage roles. He has starred in feature films including '' The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Love ...

as Barnes * Jocelyn Quivrin as Lebrun * Hubert Saint-Macary as Leblanc * Christian Hecq as Lardier *

Joe Sheridan Joseph Michael Sheridan (27 November 1914 – 30 September 2000) was an Irish politician, originally with Fine Gael but for most of his career an independent. Sheridan came from Colmcille in County Longford, and had three brothers and two sist ...

as Finley * Roger Dumas as Émile * Mehdi Nebbou as Vincent *

Christian Erickson Christian Erickson is an American actor based in Paris, France. He is known for his role as La Trémoille in ''The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc'' (1999), as General Kormarov in the film adaption of ''Hitman (2007 film), Hitman'' and as L ...

as Kruger * Samir Boitard as Maxime's stooge * Claudia Tagbo as Secretary #1 *

Clovis Cornillac Clovis Cornillac (born 16 August 1968) is a French actor, film director, and screenwriter. Life and career Clovis Cornillac was born to actors Myriam Boyer and Roger Cornillac. He started studying theatre at the age of 14. He made his debut ...

as Solal

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, 10010096_cash
''Cash''
at Unifrance Films

at Encyclociné 2008 films 2000s heist films 2008 crime thriller films French crime thriller films French heist films Films directed by Éric Besnard Films about counterfeit money 2000s French films