We may not be head over heels excited about Jérôme Salle’s “Zulu,” which will be the closing film at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, but what’s great about Cannes are all the hidden possibilities. A greatly anticipated film might get booed at, while a film under everyone’s radar can be the talk of the town. “Zulu” might not fall under either category, but it’s at least fun to entertain the idea. Now two clips from the film have arrived, giving you an opportunity to get a better sense of what the movie’s all about.
“Zulu” stars Orlando Bloom and Forest Whitaker. They play two police officers from Cape Town who investigate the murder of an 18 year old girl, the daughter of a member of the championship winning Springboks rugby team, and the investigation winds up revealing ties to the country’s apartheid past. In the first clip, there’s a discussion among the characters concerning the merits of the Reconciliation Commission, while the second one is much more action-centric, with the detectives doing some investigative work on the beach before the locals start pointing guns at them.
Jérôme Salle’s work in France (“Largo Winch,” “Anthony Zimmer”) has largely been commercial fare, but the subject matter here is much more serious. While the second clip is a bit underwhelming, overall, it will be interesting to see how Salle brings together the more political elements of the film with the action. Hopefully, the end result is much more thrilling than what the clips suggest, and we really haven’t seen Bloom in this kind of part.
“Zulu” is screening out of competition and will be premiere at the festival on May 26th. Be sure to check out the clips below.
Update: Clips removed by request of Pathe.