''Scorpion'' is a 2007 French

action drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

film directed by

Julien Seri Julien may refer to: People * Julien (given name) * Julien (surname) Music * Julien (opera), ''Julien'' (opera), a 1913 poème lyrique by Gustave Charpentier * Julien (album), ''Julien'' (album), by Dalida, 1973 * Julien (song), "Julien" (so ...

Plot

Angelo is a former

street fighter , commonly abbreviated as ''SF'' or スト (''Suto''), is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Capcom. The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by six ...

who can't deny his troubled past. Yet he has learned to channel his aggressions by striving for success in Muai Thai. But during a tournament, the officials do him wrong. After an unjustified disqualification, he cannot hide his contempt for his opponent. Although this seals the premature end of his career, the worst is still about to come, because he has made an enemy. The aforementioned opponent believes he ought to teach Angelo a lesson. He and his friends confront Angelo outside the tournament. When three enemies attempt together to waste Angelo in a derelict, dark alley, his

instinct Instinct is the inherent inclination of a living organism towards a particular complex behaviour, containing both innate (inborn) and learned elements. The simplest example of an instinctive behaviour is a fixed action pattern (FAP), in which a ...

s kick in. Driven by wrath, he applies his acquired fighting skills without restraint. Thus he causes the death of one of these men. Since he seems to have fought them off with considerable ease, a court judges that this wasn't

self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force ...

but

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ...

. Angelo is sentenced to prison. After he has done his time, Angelo is a broken man. Nothing matters to him anymore and his

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...

makes it worse big time. Even so, a good-hearted woman recognises a spark of decency in the debauched loser. Angelo perceives this after all and is encouraged to start over once again. But he cannot get any other job than to engage in illegal fights where

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix ''-ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

s bet on him. This time there is little chance of overdoing anything, because, in order to barely survive these fights, he needs everything he has got.

Cast

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 Angelo * Francis Renaud as Marcus *

Karole Rocher Karole Rocher (born 4 July 1974) is a French actress best known for her role as Roxane Delgado in the French TV series ''Braquo''. Life and career Karole Rocher grew up in Sartrouville, outside Paris, with her father and spent her summers with h ...

as Virginie *

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 TV series ''The Tunnel ...

as Léa *

Jérôme Le Banner Jérôme Philippe Le Banner (; born December 26, 1972) is a French kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and professional wrestler. Le Banner fought for most of his career in K-1 and became known for his aggressive fighting style and knockout power. ...

as Elias *

Olivier Marchal Olivier Marchal (born 14 November 1958) is a French actor, director, screenwriter, and a former policeman. In 2005, he was nominated for three César Awards The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' cere ...

as De Boers *

Philippe Bas Philippe Bas (born 20 July 1958) is a French politician, member of the French Senate representing the department of Manche. He was appointed general secretary of the Élysée Palace from 2002 to 2005. Since 2014, he is the president of the C ...

as Patrick

Reception

Critics assert that this film is different from most films about martial arts because it refrains from idealised, aesthetic fight

choreography Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who c ...

Background

''Scorpion'' was the film debut of international martial arts champion

References

External links