We know that both Guillaume Canet and Marion Cotillard are hugely talented actors and we also know that in real life they have been in a relationship since 2007 and have a child together, but seeing them in Le dernier vol it is difficult to believe either of the above statements. It is also difficult to engage in the film as the only positive is the cinematography. Apparently a true story, it is set in 1933 yet there is absolutely no sense of period and certainly no period 'feel'. The early thirties was a time when aviators were still attempting new records even six years after Lindbergh's solo Atlantic crossing. We enter the film when a pilot (who we never see) has crashed his plane in the desert in North Africa and has been missing for five days. His long-time mistress and fellow pilot (Marion Cotillard) is searching for him and attempts to get help from a detachment of the French army, themselves about to wage war on rebel tribesman. Essentially we have an uneasy merge of 'quest' movie and Boy's Own Paper conflict between the martinet commander and the peace-loving officer who has spent years winning the trust of the tribesman. To describe it as a disaster is to err on the side of kindness.

Big fan of French and foreign films. Huge fan of both mains actors. I really don't understand how they ended up in such a boring and disappointing movie. No storyline, no action, there's not even an end to this movie. It's like they didn't have enough money to finish filming this garbage. To say i'm even a fan of intellectual type movies, this doesn't even qualify in that category. I had almost bought it new at 35$ because i'm a fan of both actors and french films and i didn't... Bought it used at 4.99$ and i still think it was too much. I'm so disappointed and wasted an evening. The only good thing was the music: very middle-east, Morrocan type, which is why i gave this a 2 out of ten.

A small French regiment in the Sahara is having difficulties in their position about an enemy that looms not far away. Into their camp a small two engine plane arrives. To everyone's surprise it is a woman pilot. Marie Valliers de Baumont has come to the area where she believes her fiancé must have had an accident. The French officers, especially Antoine Chauvet, is skeptical the fallen aviator survived, but in Marie's heart, she knows they made a pact and she will find him.When a sand storm destroys Marie's airplane, she has no other choice but to stick around the soldiers, something Chaubet is reluctant to allow. Marie prevails and become part of the small division. After being attacked and suffering casualties, Chaubet and Marie do everything possible to continue, but the Sahara has another idea for them.The film directed by Karim Dridi, who co-adapted the material from a novel by Sylvain Estibal. He was trying to re-create an atmosphere in the inhospitable Sahara desert with a built in romance. It was inevitable that Marie and Chaubet ended up together because the passion their encounter provokes in spite of their differences when they first meet. One thing though, Marie had the best intentions for locating the remains of the lost plane, which turned out to be closer than what they thought it would be.Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet had collaborated with more success before. Their appearance in this movie will not add anything to both of their careers. The gorgeous locations were photographed by Antoine Monod and Le Trio Jourban contributed to the tuneful musical score.

The film has some good points. It begins as a film about a French lieutenant in French Sahara who is trying to prevent his idiotic captain from causing a full-on crisis between the army and the Touareg. Along comes a French woman looking for her lost lover. At first it's just a distraction from the main, more interesting plot. Thus, for the first hour I really got into the film and was expecting to see the conflict between the French and the Touareg lead to an exciting climax. However, as the woman's story takes over the film turns into a disaster of boredom.None of the characters are well developed, and it is particularly sad that none of the Touareg were developed as characters. On the good side, the visuals are nice, the soundtrack excellent, and Marion Cotillard is pleasant to look at. Overall, this film is a prime example of could-have-been-better. A greater focus on the Touareg characters and their motivations, a more in-depth representation of the conflict between the French and the Touareg, and subjugating the love story to the background could have made this a great film.