Vincent Cassel’s Action Film, Criticized 30 Years Ago, Almost Hit X-Rating!

In the March edition of the monthly magazine Les Années Laser, director Jan Kounen generously reflects on his entire body of work, discussing both the highs and the lows.

In the early 1990s, Jan Kounen was heavily involved in advertising and created two notable short films, Vibroboy and Le Dernier chaperon rouge, the latter featuring Emmanuelle Béart. In 1996, he ventured into feature films with Dobermann.

“We Almost Got an X Rating”

Featuring a cast that includes Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci, Romain Duris, and Tcheky Karyo, the film was unapologetically violent and embraced a rebellious spirit, causing quite a stir. Kounen took a significant risk, as he explains in the magazine.

“Beyond my shorts, I decided to adapt a series of novels by Joël Houssin, whom I contacted after showing him Vibroboy. Everything was already there: a robber, a gang, characters, a tone. […] I was driven by a desire to break free from conventions. Being rude was interesting to me. Politeness is not a virtue in itself.

I wanted to create a film that our generation wanted to see, influenced by various cinemas. I was ready to lay everything on the line. If it was to be my last film, so be it. We were going all in, even if it meant getting obliterated. Not all producers were on board. Some said it was horrific. […] My mindset was simple: to be free-wheeling, not asking for permission. Violence was an integral part of this project.”

The film’s violence even made the CNC’s film classification committee queasy. “We almost got an X,” Kounen reveals. “They talked about cuts, but I didn’t want to change anything. A no-one-under-16 ban seemed logical, consistent with the film.”

“Dobermann isn’t just bad. It’s worse than that…”

Released on June 18, 1997, the adventures of the Dobermann gang drew over 792,000 viewers—a respectable number for a debut film, especially one with a no-under-16 restriction.

However, critics tore the film apart with a fervor that matched the rejection it faced within their ranks. In a defiant move, the DVD release even included a booklet that partly featured some of the most scathing reviews, like a trophy.

“Dobermann isn’t just bad. It’s worse than that: so cunning and sensationalist that it becomes frankly questionable. Dobermann or the age of contempt. The laughter is gone. It’s grim,” declared Télérama.

“Dobermann or the cinematic horror,” blasted Sud Ouest. “More violent than A Clockwork Orange… More violent, and you die. Such a display of violence pushes the human tolerance threshold far back, but the worst part is that, doubled over with nausea, you’re still glued to your seat, eager to see what will happen next,” wrote France Soir.

“It’s banned for under 16s… It should perhaps also be banned for pacemaker wearers and those over 65. You either laugh and love it, or you leave before you throw up,” published La Tribune. One more for the road? “This cinema is as rudimentary as pornography or carnival art erases humanity… The result is null. And that’s the worst part. No trace of style, original imagery, camera virtuosity, lighting, rhythm. We are in total bestiality,” wrote Le Figaro.

Given Kounen’s earlier profession of faith, one can imagine that these reviews hit the mark, so to speak. There was once talk of a sequel to Dobermann, even without Kounen at the helm, which ultimately never materialized.

“I’ve always believed that a sequel only makes sense if time has passed. Thirty years later, with the same characters transformed by life, then yes, it could become a real possibility,” the director comments. Although one should never insult the future, the likelihood of a Dobermann sequel appearing now is still quite slim.

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