Dog 51: a solid but narratively uneven show (review)

Cédric Jimenez signs a nervous dystopia, visually impressive, but weakened by a simplified scenario compared to Gaudé’s original novel.

With Dog 51, Cedric Jimenez takes on SF. And of great magnitude. From the opening, we find the filmmaker’s DNA: a van speeds by, stops at a checkpoint, a shootout begins and a chase begins… Tension, unstoppable rhythm. The director of BAC Nord is there. He knows how to hold a camera and plunges us into his futuristic Paris from the credits.

This is the other good surprise of the film: its megacity, compartmentalized into three social zones, is magnificently recreated. Rarely has a French production displayed such visual ambition. The sets are breathtaking and the way Jimenez’s camera crosses the zones, follows in the footsteps of his cops or rushes through the dance floors is paralyzing. It’s not just show off… Video surveillance, oppressive state, crushed individuals: his obsessions unfold in this dystopian universe a little too close to us.

We will then regret that the mechanics of the scenario do not always live up to its style. By adapting Laurent Gaudé, Jimenez and his screenwriter Olivier Demangel only keep the setting. They get rid of the subplots and themes (nostalgia, capitalist grinding, impossible redemption) that made the novel so rich. And we sometimes have the impression that the futuristic thriller is content to go straight ahead, even if it means leaving the depth of the original book in Zone 3.

Fortunately, Adele Exarchopoulos electrifies every scene. And if in front of her Gilles Lellouche assures, it is she who gives the dog and dramatic intensity to the film. A solid show, visually stunning, even if narratively uneven.

Of Cedric Jimenez. With Gilles Lellouche, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Louis Garrel… Duration: 1h45. Released October 15, 2025