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A crime thriller that should be on your radar this weekend is Dusk For A Hitman. The feature, now out On Demand and Digital, is inspired by the true story of hitman Donald Lavoie (Éric Bruneau). Directed by Raymond St-Jean, the narrative admittedly brings a ton of fictional events to the proceedings, but that does not deter from the realistic and gritty feel to Dusk For A Hitman. Bruneau talked about why he is “proud” of the movie and what made this a unique project.
Donald Lavoie (Éric Bruneau) is a hitman who has earned the trust of his boss Claude (Benoît Gouin). That bond may be threatened when Donald’s erratic and immature brother Carl (Simon Landry-Desy) enters the picture. Filmmaker Raymond St-Jean delivers a first rate 1970s crime thriller that refuses to pull its punches. A cold blooded killer through and through, Donald is not a protagonist. Thanks to Bruneau’s locked in performance, Lavoie is always an interesting character to follow.
Lavoie, for most of the film, is a seemingly calm and focused character. Looks, in this case, are deceiving. “I spoke with a lot of police officers and psychologists, and they all told me that these guys, even if they look cool and relaxed, they’re always kind of self-medicating themselves with alcohol and coke and cigarettes,” said Bruneau, who did not meet Lavoie during post production. “Because they’re always in fear and nervous. I didn’t want to play it like a nervous wreck. They’re always afraid of being killed (after they) make a mistake. So it’s a really dangerous job.”
Watching the final cut for Dusk For A Hitman was like getting a “Christmas gift” for Bruneau. “I was so happy because we also did it during COVID,” said Bruneau. “For me, it’s almost a miracle. But all the elements of the character that we wanted to show were in the movie. I was just proud (of the film). It’s a small budget. I think we had 5 or 6 million dollars. That’s it. It’s not flashy, it’s just character driven and story driven. And I think it’s the best.”
Check out our review of Dusk For A Hitman on CinemAddicts:
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