Collision (2013 film)

Taylor and Scott Dolan (Jaimie Alexander and Frank Grillo) are on their honeymoon in Morocco where Taylor plots to kill her rich husband with help from her lover, Travis (Charlie Bewley). The plan goes awry when all parties are involved in a bloody car accident on a remote desert road. They escape the multi-car pileup at a desert intersection and encounter the group of survivors, including a wanted smuggler, Omar (Moussa Maaskri), a French woman, Audrey (Marie-Josée Croze), with a sick baby and Saleh, a mysterious "repairman" (Roschdy Zem). They embark on a journey of deceit and revelation that culminates in the medina of Essaouira.{{cite web|last=Tartaglione|first=Nancy|title=David Marconi To Direct Frank Grillo In EuropaCorp's 'Intersection'|url=https://deadline.com/2012/02/david-marconi-to-direct-frank-grillo-in-europacorp-s-intersection-225371/|publisher=Deadline|access-date=August 2, 2012|date=February 3, 2012}}

• Roschdy Zem as Saleh
• Frank Grillo as Scott Dolan
• Jaimie Alexander as Taylor Dolan
• Marie-Josée Croze as Audrey
• Moussa Maaskri as Omar
• Charlie Bewley as Travis
• Affif Ben Badra as Ayub
• Carlos Leal as Cyril
• Gabriella Wright as Odette

Collision marks David Marconi's return to directing, twenty years after The Harvest. Brooklyn Decker and Gemma Arterton were considered for role of Taylor but lost out to Jaimie Alexander.{{cite web|last=Kroll|first=Justin|title=Jaime Alexander heads to 'Intersection'|url=https://www.variety.com/article/VR1118049891?refCatId=13|publisher=Variety|access-date=August 2, 2012|date=February 8, 2012}}

Filming started in February 2012 on location in Merzouga and Essaouira, Morocco{{cite web|last=Gallagher|first=Brian|title=Jaimie Alexander Takes Intersection|url=http://www.movieweb.com/news/jaimie-alexander-takes-intersection|publisher=Movie Web|access-date=August 2, 2012|date=Feb 8, 2012|archive-date=February 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210110717/http://www.movieweb.com/news/jaimie-alexander-takes-intersection|url-status=dead}} and lasted a month and a half, with most of the shooting done in sequence. The film was shot mainly in English, however there is also a substantial amount of Arabic dialogue between Moussa Maaskri and Roschdy Zem's characters as well as a some French dialogue, involving Zem's, Marie-Josée Croze's and Carlos Leal's characters. The key car crash scene was filmed practically, without visual effects, using DSLR cameras in the cars.{{cite web|title=Anecdotes, potins, actus, voire secrets inavouables autour de "Intersections" et de son tournage !|url=http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm-204251/secrets-tournage/|publisher=AlloCiné|language=fr|date=Jan 30, 2013}}

The soundtrack was composed by Richard Horowitz.[https://soundcloud.com/richard-horowitz/sets/intersections INTERSECTIONS]

The opening sequence tracks are sung by Sussan Deyhim.

Initially set for November 2012, the film was eventually released in France on January 30, 2013 in 304 theaters, after a premiere on January 25 at the UGC Ciné-Cité Rosny outside of Paris, attended by Roschy Zem and Marie-Josée Croze.{{cite web|title=Avant-Première UGC Rosny|url=https://www.facebook.com/intersectionslefilm#!/media/set/?set=a.428318773911043.99495.394693760606878&type=3|publisher=Facebook|date=Jan 29, 2013}} In Belgium the film was released a week later, on February 6, in 15 theaters.

The film fizzled at the French box-office, debuting at the twelfth spot behind five of that week's other new releases (which included Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, and Seven Psychopaths) and making a little over 260,000 euros with an 871 euros per theater average,{{cite web|title=France Box Office January 30–February 3, 2013|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/intl/france/?yr=2013&wk=5&p=.htm|publisher=Box Office Mojo|date=Feb 4, 2013}} attracting 52,485 film goers.{{cite web|title=Les chiffres du Box Office, semaine par semaine, pour le film "Intersections".|url=http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm-204251/box-office/|publisher=AlloCiné|date=Feb 6, 2013}} It fared even worse in its Belgian release where it debuted at the nineteenth spot, behind five of that week's other new releases (which included Hitchcock and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters) and making a little over 26,000 euros with a 1,750 euros per theater average.{{cite web|title=Belgium Box Office February 6–10, 2013|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/intl/belgium/?yr=2013&wk=6¤cy=local&p=.htm|publisher=Box Office Mojo|date=Feb 11, 2013}} As of March 3, 2013, Intersections has made a little over 300,000 euros.

The film received an overwhelmingly negative critical response in France. Writing for Critikat, Vincent Avenel calls the script "incoherent", a sentiment echoed by Les Fiches du Cinéma's François Barge-Prieur.{{cite web|title=Critiques Presse|url=http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm-204251/critiques/presse/|publisher=AlloCiné|language=fr|date=Jan 30, 2013}} Avenel goes on to call the film "absurd" and "empty", all the while criticizing the abundance of product placement and finding Jaimie Alexander's beauty to be the picture's sole saving grace.{{cite web|last=Avenel|first=Vincent|title=Pâté Marconi: Intersections|url=http://www.critikat.com/Intersections.html|publisher=Critikat|language=fr|date=Feb 5, 2013|access-date=February 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725155343/http://www.critikat.com/Intersections.html|archive-date=July 25, 2013|url-status=dead}} In Le Monde, Jacques Mandelbaum says the film a "reality TV version" of a survival film while in Version Femina, Anne Michelet laments the lack of tension.{{cite web|title=Intersections : critiques|url=http://www.premiere.fr/film/Intersections-3110924/(affichage)/press|work=Premiere|language=fr|date=Jan 30, 2013|access-date=February 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615070139/http://www.premiere.fr/film/Intersections-3110924/(affichage)/press|archive-date=June 15, 2013|url-status=dead}}

A rare positive review came from Staragora, which praised the film's numerous twists and flawed characters while stating the film was of the kind "one remembers for weeks after having seen it".{{cite web|title="Intersections" de David Marconi : Un thriller violent plein de suspense|url=http://www.staragora.com/news/intersections-de-david-marconi-un-thriller-violent-plein-de-suspense/458026|publisher=Staragora|language=fr|date=Jan 28, 2013}}

Collision was released in France on DVD and Blu-ray in an extended version on May 30, 2013.

{{reflist}}

• {{IMDb title|1680123|Collision}}

{{Luc Besson}}

Category:2010s romantic thriller films

Category:2013 films

Category:Films about road accidents and incidents

Category:Films set in Morocco

Category:English-language French films

Category:EuropaCorp films

Category:Films produced by Luc Besson