By now I just assume that a movie like this shows up on my netflix queue because the system suggested it to me after I watched other French movies. I have no recollection of picking it out, and no knowledge of what made it sound interesting to me.
At least, as it turns out, this one wasn't half bad. The first part reminded me of a Guy Ritchie movie, without the humor or the English. (What remains is that it's a movie about small-time European gangsters). Once Tom started playing the piano, though, Guy Ritchie went out the window. This made for an interesting (though, at first, perhaps not especially believable) juxtaposition of a French strong-arm mobster with a desire to be a concert pianist.
As with other French movies, I noticed the English subtitles were a little off from what was actually spoken in French (so "Don't touch me" becomes "Hands off," and "What did you say?" becomes "What did you talk about?") but the main reason I bring this up again is because of the French title of the movie, which is De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté. Now, as I've mentioned before, my French skills are minimal, but I do know that the verb arrêter means to stop, not to skip. I'm probably splitting hairs here, and I must admit that "The Beat that my Heart Skipped" does sound a little more interesting than "My Heart Has Stopped Beating."
I wondered why Tom was smiling triumphantly at the end of the movie. The only thing I can figure is that he feels he has finally put his past behind him and is ready to live completely in the present. He must assume that, because he spared the Russian's life, Minskov considers themselves even. But I don't think a man like Minskov would let a severe beating and ball-twisting go unpunished. If I were Tom, I wouldn't be smiling. I would be very afraid.
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