''The Patriots'' ( ) is a

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

French film by director Éric Rochant about a young Frenchman who is recruited by the Israeli secret services and used for missions, first in France and then in the USA. The film was entered into the

1994 Cannes Film Festival The 47th Cannes Film Festival took place from 12 to 23 May 1994. American filmmaker and actor Clint Eastwood served as jury president for the main competition. French actress Jeanne Moreau hosted the opening and closing ceremonies. American fil ...

Plot

Leaving his family in France, young Ariel Brenner goes to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

and is recruited by the Mossad. After training, he is part of a team sent to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

to entrap a French nuclear scientist who is working on plans for a power plant in a Middle Eastern country (a fictionalised version of the Osirak site in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

). While the scientist's co-operation is secured through blackmail, using a delightful call-girl who Ariel recruits named Marie-Claude, his Arab counterpart refuses, despite Marie-Claude's charms, and is assassinated. To the alarm of their US allies, the Israeli armed forces then bomb the plant out of existence. An American intelligence operative in Washington named Jeremy Pelman (a fictionalised Jonathan Pollard) is sympathetic to the Israeli cause and through Ariel offers to feed them useful information. As a spy he is not very competent, sharing everything with his wife, and when he comes under suspicion from his superiors, tries to defect. The Israelis, to avoid further alarm from their allies, hand him back. Back in Israel, Ariel is on surveillance at the airport when Marie-Claude happens to fly in. He takes her into an office, locks the door and pulls down the blinds .....

Cast

Richard Masur Richard Masur (born November 20, 1948) is an American character actor who has appeared in more than 40 films. From 1995 to 1999, he served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). He is best known for playing David Kane on '' One ...

- Jeremy Pelman *

Yvan Attal Yvan Attal (; ; born ) is a French actor, scriptwriter and film director. Life and career Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, to History of the Jews in Algeria, Algerian-Jewish parents, he grew up in the outskirts of Paris. His acting debut was in Éri ...

- Ariel Brenner * Allen Garfield - Eagleman * Yossi Banai - Yossi * Nancy Allen - Catherine Pelman * Maurice Bénichou - Yuri *

Emmanuelle Devos Emmanuelle Devos (born 10 May 1964) is a French actress. She is the daughter of actress Marie Henriau. She won the César Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her performance in ''Sur mes lèvres'', directed by Jacques Audiard. She has also been ...

- Rachel * Hippolyte Girardot - Daniel * Moshe Ivgy - Oron *

Sandrine Kiberlain Sandrine Kiberlain (born Sandrine Kiberlajn; 25 February 1968) is a French people, French actress and singer. Her most notable roles were in the films ''The Patriots (film), The Patriots'' (1994), ''A Self Made Hero'' (1996), ''For Sale (1998 fi ...

- Marie-Claude * Bernard Le Coq - Bill Haydon * Christine Pascal - Laurence *

Jean-François Stévenin Jean-François Stévenin (; 23 April 194427 July 2021) was a French actor and filmmaker. He appeared in 150 films and television shows since 1968. He starred in the film '' Cold Moon'', which was entered into the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. He ...

- Remy Prieur * Éva Darlan - Madame Prieur * Dan Toren - Ran Ostrovitch * Myriem Roussel - Laurence's friend

References

External links

* * * 1990s French-language films 1994 films 1990s spy thriller films French spy thriller films 1990s political thriller films Films directed by Éric Rochant Films about the Mossad French political thriller films 1990s French films Gaumont (company) films {{1990s-thriller-film-stub