The Lost Son ** (1999, Daniel Auteuil, Nastassja Kinski, Katrin Cartlidge) – Classic Movie Review 10,460

Director Chris Menges’s 1999 worrying, exploitative-feeling thriller The Lost Son is another really difficult, depressing movie, quality maybe but hard to like, with excellent French luminary Daniel Auteuil seeming lost and hollow speaking in English as a Parisian London-based private eye called Xavier Lombard, who is hired to find a rich family’s son, which involves him in probing a child slavery gang.

The murky and harrowing film is strongly cast, is well crafted by director Menges and is excellently filmed by Barry Ackroyd on unfamiliar, eye-catching London locations.

Also in the cast are Nastassja Kinski, Katrin Cartlidge, Marianne Denicourt, Ciarân Hinds, Billie Whitelaw, Cyril Shaps, Bruce Greenwood and Jamie Harris.

It is Auteuil’s first English speaking role. He followed it with The Escort. He won a BAFTA Film Award for Jean de Florette (1986).

The Lost Son is directed by Chris Menges, runs 102 minutes, is made by Channel Four, Arts Council, France 2 Cinéma, France 3 Cinéma, IMA, Le Studio Canal +, Film Consortium, UGC and Artisan, is released by UIP, is written by Eric Leclere (original story and screenplay), Margaret Leclere (original story and screenplay) and Mark Mills (screenplay), is shot by Barry Ackroyd, is produced by Nik Powell (executive producer), Stephen Woolley (executive producer), Sarah Radclyffe (executive producer), Georges Benayoun (executive producer) and Finola Dwyer (producer), is scored by Goran Bregovic, and is designed by John Beard.

Jonathan Rutter is the publicist.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,460

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