A Canneseries and MipTV world premiere screening, Canal+ crime thriller The Brigade kicks off with an event that has fuelled the modern-day nightmares of France: the terrorist attacks on Bataclan.
Patrick Prigent, who heads up a Paris unit of Brigade de recherche et dintervention (BRI), an elite police unit, receives a phone call that there is a hostage-taking situation at the nightclub.Arriving on the scene, he prepares to send in paramedics but a new BRI recruit, a guy called Sad, advises against that. I was Special Forces, two years in Syria. I think those guys did too. You only learn by watching others. They wont negotiate. They know theyre going to die tonight, says Sad. Patrick takes in what he says.
Cut to seven years later, and Patrick is stepping down, replaced by Said as head of the unit. Leaving 90 people dead, and perpetrated by terrorists living in Europe, the Bataclan attack helped reform security forces and measures in France.
Produced by Cheyenne Federation (A French Case), sold by Studiocanal and bringing key cast and crew to Cannes for its premiere, The Brigade, a Canal+ Creation Originale, weighs in as an ultra contemporary take on BRIs battle against organised crime and terrorism.
That cuts several ways. Saids immediate task, hinted at in the opening episodes, is to quell the outbreak of a gang war sparked by new kids on the crime block, the El Hassani brothers. The cast is multi-ethnic led by Sofian Khammes (November, The Swarm) as Said. The BRIs work has evolved: I didnt sign up for this. I like chasing robbers in Paris. But now its terrorists, drug traffickers and psychos on the make, the old school Patrick laments in the series early going.
Propulsive, tensed by its action scenes and continual conflict, The Brigade is created, co-written and directed by Jrmie Guez, behind another crime drama, the Philadelphia-set Brothers by Blood.
The Brigade brings a new fresh angle to the way cop shows are portrayed, giving a real insight into the worse crimes on the street of Paris, with real events that have made headlines internationally, says Beatriz Campos, Studiocanal SVP global sales and production financing.
She adds: Through the series we will see the growth of a leader, in an unconventional way, we are used to see corrupt cop stories and its refreshing to see a leader trying to break the mould.
The crime series also underscores just how much crime dramas have evolved in France since, 17 years ago, Spiral (Engrenages), caught fire on Canal+, marking its first major premium series export success and subs driver.
Camera is hand-held, multi-shot, abundant in cutaways, details, cuts on movement. Sequences can be intense: Lensed to near balletic effect, just one scene of the unit moving in on two suspects in a basement packs 18 shots in a minute sequence. Such detail does not come cheaply.
In its character arcs and challenges, hinted at rather than addressed head on and its key deep themes from the challenge of modernization of forces of order, leadership in a contemporary world, Europes ethnic mix The Brigade looks like it has obvious franchise potential.
That, indeed, is Canal+ and Studiocanals gameplan. The Brigade has been acquired by Canal+ for the whole of its international footprint, which takes in over 50 territories in Africa and Eastern Europe and two in Asia.
That full footprint rollout is a real indication of the international appeal of this show, said Campos. We are hoping this will become the next big franchise for the Canal+ channels.
Varietyinterviewed Aime Buidine who with Julien Madon produced the series for Cheyenne Federation.
MipTV describes The Brigade as the story of the birth of a leader. That indeed appears to be the case, if early episodes are anything to go by, one of the human questions at the heart of the drama: How to lead in an age which questions authority. Could you comment?
Aimee Buidine Exactly. The irreconcilable conflict between generations is at the heart of this season. Not only does such a conflict challenge the Brigade, it also unbalances criminality. At the Brigade, the new chief must become a leader. Hes an advocate for a more transparent and horizontal way of working. But even the younger members of his team are reluctant to this change. On the criminals side, a new generation is taking power. Old gangs had their prerogatives and try to resist.
The Brigade also looks like an ultra-contemporary take on the crime thriller, in style, focus and multi-ethnic cast. Again, could you comment?
Oddly enough, I believe it is because Jrmie Guez has such a deep and extensive culture, including one of crime thrillers, that hes been able to free himself from existing representations and co-create (with Erwan Augoyard) a very distinctive and ultra-contemporary series.
That sharp and dynamic style is a deliberate choice to ensure the image always remains a faithful reflection of the story and characters mood. As for the narration, its fast-paced and complex: You understand from the very beginning that the heroes youre watching are men and women of a kind. And still theyre relatable because they are like us: Nuanced, diverse, multi-ethnic, they come from different family and social backgrounds. Their language and their moods are real. Its a fresh take on cop heroes. Jrmie often quotes Miami Vice as an inspiration for this series, especially because of its revolutionary way of being diverse in an authentic way.
No doubt this is also due to the cast. Were very proud of this unique combination of talents, having the young generation of French rising stars (Sofiane Khammes, Ophlie Bau, Wal Sersoub, Tho Christine, Rabah Nait Oufella, Sami Outalbali, Nina Meurisse.) facing the emblematic French actress (Emmanuelle Devos) and actors (Vincent Elbaz, Bruno Todeschini).
In terms of character, cop dramas are a reactive sub-genre. Theres an incident; characters react; you learn more about them from the details of reaction. That said, you sense from the character introduction of The Brigade that its on the long-haul. Do you see this as a potential franchise?
One of the specificities of this Brigade, is that they do both investigation and intervention. Their goal is to prevent dangerous crimes, heists, even terrorist attacks. and their mission is to catch criminals red-handed to make sure they end up behind the bars. This way of working forces long-term investigation and the Brigade needs time to understand some ramifications and indeed be ready for strong and impactful interventions. And, yes, it has a franchise potential. were working on Season 2!
Cop dramas often serve as metaphors of the mindset of the countries which make them, U.S. dramas reflecting an optimism that the world can be controlled by a combination of exceptionalism cutting-edge science, for instance and hard work. What would The Brigade say about France?
Id say it reflects that were constantly challenging the current state of things and that were full of paradoxes and ambiguity. We have very strong ideals when it comes to Justice and Freedom. We built complex institutions to protect these ideals. Still, we always challenge these institutions. Some would say were never satisfied. But this is also a way to constantly try to improve. Never taking the current state of things for granted is exactly what happens in the series.
How does The Brigade fit into the ambitions and production strategies of Cheyenne Federation?
The Brigade is a perfect fit! A keystone of our philosophy at Cheyenne Federation is nurturing long-term relationships with our talents, like with Jrmie Guez. My partner Julien Madon did that with Julien Leclercq, Frdric Tellier, Samuel Benchetrit. Were producing features and series, and we also love to bring talents that come from theatrical features to series if thats a format theyre willing to explore. We love ambitious shows, like Notre-Dame by Herv Hadmar which we did for Netflix. We also love to discover new talents. Were producing Funny Birds, by Hanna Ladoul and Marco La Via, starring Catherine Deneuve, Andrea Riseborough and Morgan Saylor, executive produced by Martin Scorsese. Were shooting Saint Ex, by Pablo Agero, starring Louis Garrel, Vincent Cassel and Diane Kruger. We put talent first and never compromise on quality.