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5
thieves... 500 cars... 1 day... Quality not quantity.
Once a year the five greatest car thieves on the planet assemble
to hold a competition to see who's the best. These aren't your
average car thieves... they're the "crème de la crème"
of their dark profession. If they stole paintings, they would
steal the Mona Lisa. If they stole precious gems, they would
steal the Hope diamond. But as car thieves they insist on only
going after extremely rare, vintage cars.
Hosting this rather bizarre competition is Ishmail Redmond, a
billionaire "Bloefeld" type who simultaneously holds
the legitimate and world renowned Grand Prix du Cote d'Azure,
a formula car race that runs a circuit from Cannes to Monte Carlo.
Ishmail has been hosting both "competitions" for the
last twenty years, and for the last five the reigning champion
has been a Frenchman who simply goes by the name of Luc (Jean-Hugues
Anglade). Also in contention this year is an American named
Buck (Matt Dillon),
a Mercedes kleptomaniac from Hong Kong with the dubious name
of Hung (Chow
Yun-Fat), a former KGB agent turned car thief entrepreneur
named Klaus (Dolph
Lundgren) and a Modesty Blaise lookalike named Frau Claudia
Hex (Nastassja
Kinski).
The prize this year is a priceless Faberge Egg worth countless
fortunes. Once the competition begins the honor between these
thieves gradually vanishes and gives way to simple greed. We
follow the five criminals during the race as their separate stories
unfold. Five stories that culminate into one single climax, all
draped in the background of the biggest formula race in Europe.
The characters of R.P.M.
Luc (Jean-Hugues Anglade) is the iceman of car thieves. Mr. Superclean,
as he's known by the French Police and Interpol. Luc has a way
of circling with only the best of people... and he's used to
getting what he wants. And what he wants is to steal as many
cars as he can. But Luc also has a hidden agenda. An old score
to settle...
Buck (Matt Dillon) is the flashy American from Las Vegas. His
speciality is stealing the fines, and rarest vintage American
muscle cars he can lay his hands on. The Japanese pay top dollar
for these cars, and he's carved himself a name in the American
heartland. Buck is a little reckless... with his driving, and
with his voracious appetite for women. An appetite that will
be his undoing.
Hung (Chow Yun-Fat) is the Chinese Alain
Delon. He will only steal vintage Mercedes-Benz classics,
or prototype supercars. Good thing there's plenty of them around.
Klaus (Dolph Lundgren) is plagued by identical "doppelganger"
doubles that are coming out of the wood work at an alarming rate.
At every turn another one is there trying to kill him. They all
seem to be part of an international network of super secret agents
that for some reason all look just like Klaus. This has a way
of limiting the amount of time Klaus can spend doing his job...
stealing cars. And, if it weren't enough already, Klaus can only
steal convertibles... his massive height makes it difficult to
even get into a car with a roof.
Frau Claudia Hex (Nastassja Kinski) could put Emma Peal or Modesty
Blaise to shame. She looks like an Italian movie star from the
sixties and likes the feel of a catsuit and a cold margarita.
A brilliant mastermind of car theft she only goes for cars that
can match how good she looks. If she doesn't look good in it,
she won't steal it. It's her motto.
Ishmail Redmond (Terence
Stamp) is the billionaire, Mephistopheles/Bloefeld type who
has hosted the Grand Prix du Cote d'Azure for the last fifteen
years. A formula race that lasts a day and runs from Cannes to
Monaco and back. During this time he has simultaneously, and
secretly, conducted a second competition. A competition between
the five greatest car thieves on the planet. The prize is a gilded,
and priceless, Faberge Egg. The competition lasts as long as
the race, and during that time each thief must steal as many
priceless cars as possible. Ishmail then sends them to Saudi
Arabia where he sells them at no profit. Why? Because Ishmail
has more money than God, he puts on this competition for the
pure joy of doing it... and for the pure joy of watching his
equally wealthy neighbours lose their cars.
Chief Inspector Benny Beneix (Daniel
Auteuil) has had enough. Over the years he's grown smart
to the "competition within a competition" and, while
he can't actually prove anything, he wants it over with this
year... and he's allowing his men to bend the law a bit to bring
this ring of car thieves down once and for all. But he's especially
set on catching the current champion of the competition for the
last five years, Mr. Superclean... Luc.
Max Baxter (Eric
Stoltz) is the punk American Formula driver. The Andre Gassy
of car racing. Should be a thief himself, with his Mohawk haircut
and extroverted demeanor. But while Max is a wild guy, he's on
the side of the law... even if it means killing someone to be
there.
Jen (Vanessa
Paradis) is a young upstart car thief who wants in on Frau
Claudia Hex's reign as the greatest female car thief in the world...
not knowing the curse that comes with that title.
(from
Columbus
Films) |
