The Lost Son (film)

{{Infobox film

| name = The Lost Son

| image = The Lost Son.jpg

| caption = UK theatrical release poster

| director = Chris Menges

| producer = Finola Dwyer

| writer = {{ubl|Eric Leclere|Margaret Leclere|Mark Mills}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = Goran Bregović

| cinematography = Barry Ackroyd

| editing = {{ubl|Luc Barnier|Pamela Power}}

| studio = {{ubl|The Film Consortium|Canal+}}

| distributor = {{ubl|United International Pictures (United Kingdom)|BAC Films (France)}}

| released = {{Film date|1999|06|25|United Kingdom|df=y}}

| runtime = 102 minutes

| country = {{ubl|United Kingdom|France}}

| language = {{ubl|English|French}}

| budget =

}}

The Lost Son is a 1999 crime drama starring French actor Daniel Auteuil and set in London. It was directed by Chris Menges.{{Cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/2002/10/18/on_guard/|title = "On Guard"|date = 19 October 2002}}

Plot

Xavier Lombard is a Parisian private detective based in London. His best friend is Nathalie, a high-class call girl. He gets a telephone call from an old friend in the Paris police department, now a businessman whose brother-in-law is missing. The missing man's parents hire Xavier over their daughter's objections, and he quickly finds himself caught up in the underworld of child sex slavery. He guesses that the lost son is dead and shifts his focus to finding and breaking this lucrative business of child trafficking. He gets a reluctant Nathalie to hunt "the Austrian", the shadowy head of the pedophile ring. Violence erupts quickly, and Xavier soon has little more to lose.

Cast

Daniel Auteuil as Lombard
Marianne Denicourt as Nathalie
Nastassja Kinski as Deborah
Katrin Cartlidge as Emily
Ciarán Hinds as Carlos
Bruce Greenwood as Alex Friedman
Billie Whitelaw as Mrs Spitz
Cyril Shaps as Mr. Spitz
Jamie Harris as Hopper
Cal Macaninch as Martin
Hemal Pandya as Shiva
Billy Smyth as "Boy #6"

Reception

The film opened in the UK on 25 June 1999 on 24 screens and grossed £15,059 in its opening weekend.{{cite magazine|magazine=Screen International|date=2 July 2000|page=26|title=International box office: UK/Ireland}}

DVD Verdict panned the film, writing "The Lost Son has its heart in the right place, but it fumbles the ball by presenting an idea with great potential in a fairly lackluster package. There is not enough substance here to make the film worthy of a purchase."{{cite web|last=Pinsky|first=Mike|title=The Lost Son (review)|url=http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/thelostson.php|publisher=DVD Verdict|accessdate=3 April 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415132530/http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/thelostson.php|archivedate=15 April 2016|date=2001-06-20}} The Herald was mixed in their review, stating that Menges "handles the unpleasant aspects in Eric and Margaret Leclere's script with tact" but that the film had too many unbelievable moments.{{cite news|last1=Russell|first1=William|title=This one is a wrap, folks; New releases|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23737563.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924191222/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23737563.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 September 2015|accessdate=3 April 2015|publisher=The Herald (subscription required)|date=24 June 1999}}

References

External links

[http://www.alibi-books.com/thelostson The Lost Son, by Eric Leclere (pub. Alibi Books 1999, London)] - The original novel on which the film was based.
{{IMDb title|id=0144286|title=The Lost Son}}
{{Rotten Tomatoes|1106080_lost_son}}

Category:1999 films

Category:1999 crime thriller films

Category:American crime thriller films

Category:British mystery films

Category:British thriller films

Category:American detective films

Category:Films about child sexual abuse

Category:Films about pedophilia

Category:Films about prostitution in the United Kingdom

Category:Films directed by Chris Menges

Category:Films scored by Goran Bregović

Category:Films set in London