Some cop named Scali is told by an informant that he's being offered military weapons. The cops tells him to go for it. The guy says he doesn't have money. The cop answers unhelpfully that the guy will figure something out. The guy meets with the bad guys who are Serbian. The cops monitor the meeting, they look in the Serbians's car, photograph the weapons. Because the informant has no money, he gets a good beating from the Serbians and they vanish.

Next we meet some narcotics team raiding an apartment. One guy escapes with a tiny police girl named Maya chasing him. They stop, he gives her a bunch of money and leaves.

The weapons cops mount some operation to put transmitters in some trucks that belong to the bad guys. That takes them to Paris where the narcotics unit works. Scali makes contact with Maya. At first it looks like they are romantically involved. Later we learn that they are estranged father and daughter.

We meet a whole bunch of people on the respective teams. Scali has some pregnant girl on his team who starts vomiting every couple of minutes but won't tell her boyfriend. We meet Scali's ex-wife for some reason. Maya stashes money, and occasionally uses drugs. Her boss is one corrupt creepy guy who is involved with all his female officers.

The thing is that these weapons belong to NATO, and Scali doesn't want to make some international fuss about it because then they'll take the case away from him (?). They keep investigating the Serbians and find the warehouse where they keep the weapons after a whole bunch of botched attempts. Meanwhile Maya who doesn't know anything about this, but in her drug investigations comes across the same Serbians. Scali mounts an operation to catch the bad guys with the weapons. Problem is that same moment Maya is going after them as well.

I had high hopes for Mains Armées as the French have produced strong cop movies, but this one is just poor. Things start out alright with the cop work but a few minutes later everybody is asking everybody else about their boyfriends/girlfriends/husband/wives--work be damned. It sure is realistic as law enforcement people are dramatic and love drama in their lives. But still, we could have done without it in this movie. Another problem is that we have nondescript forgettable villains. It would have been better to learn something about them instead of seeing so much about the intimate lives of the cops. What is worst perhaps is the uncharismatic multicultural lead that adds nothing to the movie.

What this movie has going for it are some strong basics, some interesting close calls between cops and bad guys, and that much of this movie is filmed outdoors so we actually get to see some uncommon sights of France. While most Hollywood movies that are allegedly filmed overseas show nothing of the places, this movie takes advantage of the sights. It looks a bit too colorless and lifeless, just like the movie itself, but it's refreshing to see so much filmed outside and during the day on top of that, instead of at night, in darkness, in rain.

Main Armees could use a remake, one that's shorter, tighter more focused on action and thrills.

I have never understand the impulse to do cop movie, especially when it's about running after the famous powder. When you count all the lives lost, all the family destroyed, all the investigations and budget allowed for so little result, you are worthy to ponder.

Here, you have got a clear illustration of this poor administration : there isn't one single police but a lot of offices, each one in charge of a particular crime and not trusting the other. Thus, versatile criminals are a bit hard to catch. Beyond this, the cops are obsessed by the flagrant arrest : they never want to stop the little fish, they always want to catch the big head. So, they listen, they investigate, they patient and it always ends in a bloody gunfight !

In addition, this movie is a bit a bore as every one is grumpy : no ones is happy, the cop father, the cop daughter, the cop boss, the cop co-worker, the gangsters. This loud drama is increased by the locations : derelict, old, rusty, cloudy, this Paris look like rather a under developed country ! And now, even french productions are infected by the modern plague : i mean the mobile phone because in terms of filmmaking, shooting a conversation is ground zero.

At last, if Zem is right, i can't believe Leila as a vindictive daughter and an aspirant cop. Worst, she dresses with rags and we are left wondering about her fate.

In conclusion, it's not a stinker but there's little to make happy either !

I am usually pretty downbeat when it comes to the quality of French movies, but this one took me by surprise in a very pleasant way.

The problem with movies I love is that I can't find much to say about them. The story is great, the actors are great, I suppose the direction is great too since I was so immersed in the story that I didn't notice anything about it, and the ending was quite moving as well.

It's a gritty police movie with realistic dialogues, a well-paced and intriguing storyline and a good balance of action and emotion.

Big props to Marc Lavoine who is fantastic as the rotten policeman Julien Bass; I must say I didn't know he could act that well.

Heartily recommended.