Killing Zoe

**** 4 Stars **** Upon the movie's release, Roger Ebert wrote (9/9/1994): "'Killing Zoe' is Generation X's first bank caper movie, an ultra-violent screamfest about a soft-spoken American who gets involved with a gang of drugcrazed Parisian thieves and blunders into a hostage situation." I couldn't have summarized it better. Written and directed by Tarantino's buddy Roger Avary (they shared an Oscar for best screenplay, 'Pulp Fiction'), Avary was only 27 when he made this movie, and it has become a cult flick on both sides of the Atlantic. And for good reason: 'Killing Zoe' brings the ideas of 'down and dirty' and 'gritty' to new lows. I mean, there are scenes when you just want to stop and take a shower, and I'm not talking about sex - there's stuff here to make your basic junkie barf. But ultimately, Eric Stoltz and Julie Delpy keep us grounded (with great performances by both) - they offset the evil insanity of Jean-Hugues Anglade (also a great performance) and his crew. Because of its pedigree (Tarantino was a producer as well as the director's BFF), 'Killing Zoe' gets compared to 'Pulp Fiction' a lot - and that's just wrong. 'Pulp Fiction' is a light comedy compared to 'Zoe' ... think 'Reservoir Dogs' (1992) instead, but with zero humor. Recommended for anyone who likes quality crime films (and won't complain about the drugs and body count). Thanks for reading.

Dear Criterion Collection,this film is highly underrated and deserves a re release,remastered in 4K please.🙏🙏🙏

Roger Avary's directorial debut Killing Zoe presents a surreal take on the heist genre. Zed(Eric Stoltz)comes to Paris to participate in a bank robbery with his friend Eric(Jean-Hugues Anglade) who he has not seen in eleven years. On his first night in Paris he is set up with an escort named Zoe(Julie Delpy)who he has an immediate bond with. After a night of drug fueled partying Eric and his gang set the robbery in motion. Things go horribly wrong and carnage results. To say anything further would ruin the plot.Avary proved in his first outing that he could direct and write a credible film without the help of his friend Quentin Tarantino. Though the two director's styles are similar both are quite distinct. Avary uses an interesting color scheme to distinguish the three acts of his film: white in the opening scenes, blue in the middle and red for the robbery itself. Also of note is that the film was almost shot in Los Angeles as a substitute for Paris, a fact that Avary found interesting.I viewed the standdard definition disc which was a pretty bare bones affair. Included were sone textual biographies, production notes and the release trailer.

"Killing Zoe" has to be one the most violent films, but oddly my favorite. Its the story of an American safecracker who gets out of prison and travels to Paris to rob a bank with his French friend, Eric. There he meets a prostitute named Zoe who happens to work at the bank they rob. The robbery is one of the most bloody in movie history with them gunning down anyone that gets in the way. At first I was uncomfortable with that but the story unfolds in a way that is so compelling you can't stop watching. Jean-Hughes Anglade was incredible in his portrayal of the evil Aids stricken Eric with no respect for human life. Eric is probably the most interesting character in the film. He's so ruthless and convincing that he's the one thing that makes this movie so great.There are also funny moments like the Billy Holiday albums, their night at the jazz club, the Viking movies and the little monkey. The movie is bizarre at times but its definitely unique.All in all, its a great film that I watch over and over again.

Great deal.

WITHIN THE SENSELESS, MANIC BLOODLETTING IN THIS FILM I ALSO DETECT A PLAY ON FRENCH STEREOTYPES; NAMELY, THEY ARE NOT TOO SMART, ARROGANT, AND ABOVE ALL, INCOMPETENT. ARE WE TO BELIEVE THAT THE BANK MANAGER, WHO DOESN'T SEEM TOO BRIGHT, WOULD ALLOW AN INNOCENT EMPLOYEE TO BE MURDERED BECAUSE HE JUST CAN'T GET HIMSELF TO LET THE DRUG-SOAKED KILLERS INTO THE BANK VAULT? SURELY A DUMB KIND OF LOYALTY, OR PERHAPS HE WAS JUST AFRAID OF THE REPURCUSSIONS THAT MIGHT FOLLOW FROM HIS APPARENTLY CRUEL SUPERIORS SHOULD HE PERFORM AN ELEMENTARY ACT OF KINDNESS. IN A SENSE, HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THAT FOLLOWS, ALTHOUGH WITHOUT HIS STUPIDITY WE WOULDN'T HAVE A MOVIE; ARE ERIC AND HIS GANG OF DIMWITS SO ARROGANT THAT THEY WOULD BOAST OF THEIR LACK OF PLANNING? IN FACT, ZED, THE AMERICAN IN PARIS, SEEMS AMAZED BY THE BLOODY AND INCOMPETENT BLUNDERING OF HIS COMPANIONS. I WAS RELIEVED TO SEE HIM FINALLY GET AWAY FROM THE BUNCH, THANKS TO THE HEART OF GOLD PROSTITUTE (ALTHOUGH WE ARE TOLD THAT SHE'S NOT REALLY ONE), AND HOPEFULLY EVENTUALLY BACK TO THE STATES AND SENSIBILITY.

Great flick, a shame it's not on US Blu-ray . . .

intense, gripping, and it has julie delphie! there is something about her that is magnetic.She is not overly attractive but she just grabs you! the plot and story are fast paced and the players (actors) are superb! watch it in french. this is one of those movies that was never highly advertised but one you will want to watch, again, and isn't that what makes a good movie ?A MUST SEE

This is a dark and gritty bank heist film, presenting a bleak look at criminal life in the 1990's. It's a well-made movie, and one that's essentially driven by the fantastic characterisation offered by Eric Stoltz - as he plays an expert American safe-cracker who's invited to France by a childhood friend. That friend has made plans to break into a bank - with the aim of stealing millions in gold. The initial half of the film focuses on these two old friends meeting-up after not having seen one another in over a decade. They embark upon a night of drink and drugs within the run-down suburbs of Paris. The latter half of the movie deals with the heist itself, which quickly descends into violence and chaos. Ultimately, this tentative friendship is shown to be less than stable.Mixed in with the main storyline is a secondary plot - involving Zoe, a student who works part-time as a bank clerk as well as a casual prostitute. Stoltz's character arranges to meet Zoe (played by the beautiful Julie Delpy) upon his arrival at a hotel suit in Paris. The two have sex, and get along well. Later it turns out that Zoe works at the back where the heist takes place ... And, in the final moments, Stoltz's character must decide between old friend or new lover.Thrown into the film, to add further texture, are plenty of hard drugs. As is the AIDS infection - which, in the midst of bloody carnage, poses a real threat. Given the way this story is told, there's very little joy here. Other than an intimate and tender moment, involving a sex scene with Zoe, this movie is nothing more than a descent into futile brutality. Yet it's a captivating experience - and, in this regard, I highly recommend it.I watched this film at the cinema over 20 years ago. It's aged well - and stands-up to present-day scrutiny. It's unfortunate that this DVD version of the film is so highly edited - with over 20 minutes of footage cut. The French edition is that much longer, featuring extended scenes about the bank robbery. Should that lengthier version be made available with an English audio (even if only subtitles) I'll certainly get it.

If you're purchasing this because you love the film and want to see it on Blu-ray then save your cash because the picture and sound are terrible. It genuinely feels like it's been filmed inside a cinema with a half decent video camera. Throughout the entire movie I was expecting silhouettes of cinema goers walking across the screen to use the urinals which is exactly where this Blu-ray belongs. Utter garbage

Fast delivery great DVD just like the video .the subtitles are on there to on the original dvd release i England. .watched loads of times already .great acting .loved film as a kid love even more now. The ultimate edition from France has the directors cut on there but second half of film no subs as its a French release plus French spoken parts at start no subs . My comments comes under the Spanish version for some reason to. Im wondering if that version of directors cut has subs in the French speaking parts. Looking for a English directors cut version

Terrible transfer to Blu ray, and not a particularly good film anyway ,one for the charity shop .......

Please avoid,I m sending my copy back,poor transfer,subtitles move around like its been filmed from a screen and has shots cut out, highly disappointed, don't buy.