1970s Montreal, Donald Lavoie is being hunted for his crimes by both the law and a former boss.
Written by Martin Girard and Raymond St-Jean, with the latter directing as well, this period piece is one that will attract fans of true crime, 1970s films, and those who are curious about what Quebec was like for some people back in the day. The film is one that is carefully written and directed and one that makes absolutely certain that the public knows from the start that the facts and names have been played with a bit for cinematic effect. The film is based on confessions made by Lavoie, particularly in an interview Hana Gartner in 1982 (which can be found here). Of course, the film takes a dramatic approach to things and inputs a bit of film magic into it all, but the facts look to be in line with the interview with Gartner. Of course, the film is made from the hitman’s interview, so the viewpoint is very much his and may or may not be exact to reality. The story as depicted in the film is interesting and has some powerful scenes, but it does suffer from being a wee bit too long which leads to some sequences feeling like they drag a bit. Overall, though, the film is telling its story in a solid way.
The cast here is where the main strength of the film is. Lead Éric Bruneau as Donald Lavoie give the exact right performance for the film and the part as is. The way he carries himself here, plays the role, delivers the lines, but most importantly, the way he imbues his character with a little humanity here and there, the way he makes it about more than the crimes and the killings, the way he makes the character his is how he pulls the viewer in and doesn’t let them go. (Nerdy bit of info, Bruneau played Pierre Harel in the film Gerry, a member of Offenbach who has the honor of having the closing song here.) Joining Bruneau here are Benoît Gouin as underworld boss Claude Dubois (no relation to the French-Canadian singer), Simon Landry-Desy as Carl Lavoie, Rose-Marie Perreault as Francine Lavoie, and many more all composing a strong ensemble cast.
One of the main points of “yes, please, that’s how you do this” is the art direction by Marie-Hélène Lavoie which is on point. The late 1970s and early 1980s in Quebec were a brown, brown era in fashion, home decor, etc. This was not a flashy era for most folks and the film really nails it. The decor, wardrobe, hair, makeup, everything is on point. Solid team work here as well, bringing a very specific time period in Quebec history right to the screen in exactly the right way in terms of look.
The cinematography here is solid as well. The work by Jean-François Lord is quite pretty with some sequences being absolutely gorgeous. That opening? Yes, please, thank you. That is how you bring a viewer to the Quebec countryside before getting them into the city proper. The sequences outside are particularly well shot here. The indoor sequences are as well, but the outdoors gets to shine basically. The look of the 1970s/80s Quebec as painstakingly replicated by the art departments is shot in a way to give it its own space to shine.
For those into the music and as has been mentioned before, the film makes use of a few songs to complement the score. These songs are from that era, some a bit older, which makes sense when you think of what someone in those years would be hearing on the radio. The Offenbach mentioned above is a nice touch as well.
Dusk for a Hitman is a solid film that takes a bit too long here and there and thus bogs itself down a bit, but it looks great with the folks behind it being clearly talented and having done their research. The subject here is not one that we see too often in Quebec cinema, but something that we seem to be getting more and more of, the dark side of the province, the history that makes people a bit uncomfortable. The film here is one that is well-crafted, well-acted, and a solid entry in the true crime genre albeit a bit long in some sequences.
