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 d’intervention (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 Saïd, advises against that. “I was Special Forces, two years in Syria. I think those guys did too. You only learn by watching others. They won’t negotiate. They know they’re going to die tonight,” says Saïd. 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 BRI’s battle against organised crime and terrorism.
That cuts several ways. Said’s 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 BRI’s work has evolved: “I didn’t sign up for this. I like chasing robbers in Paris. But now it’s 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 Jérémie Guez, behind another crime drama, the Philadelphia-set “Brothers by Blood.”
“The Brigade” underscores just how much the crime drama has 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, Europe’s ethnic mix – “The Brigade” looks like it has obvious franchise potential.
That, indeed, is Canal+ and Studiocanal’s 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.”
Variety interviewed Aimée 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?
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. He’s 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 Jérémie Guez has such a deep and extensive culture, including one of crime thrillers, that he’s 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, it’s fast-paced and complex: You understand from the very beginning that the heroes you’re watching are men and women of a kind. And still they’re 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. It’s a fresh take on cop heroes. Jérémie 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. We’re very proud of this unique combination of talents, having the young generation of French rising stars (Sofiane Khammes, Ophélie Bau, Waël Sersoub, Théo 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. There’s 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 it’s 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. we’re 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?
I’d say it reflects that we’re constantly challenging the current state of things – and that we’re 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 we’re 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 Jérémie Guez. My partner Julien Madon did that with Julien Leclercq, Frédéric Tellier, Samuel Benchetrit. We’re producing features and series, and we also love to bring talents that come from theatrical features to series if that’s a format they’re willing to explore. We love ambitious shows, like “Notre-Dame” by Hervé Hadmar which we did for Netflix. We also love to discover new talents. We’re producing “Funny Birds,” by Hanna Ladoul and Marco La Via, starring Catherine Deneuve, Andrea Riseborough and Morgan Saylor, executive produced by Martin Scorsese. We’re shooting “Saint Ex,” by Pablo Agüero, starring Louis Garrel, Vincent Cassel and Diane Kruger. We put talent first and never compromise on quality.
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