quelques jours en septembre be a very ambitious first film for argentinian author santiago amigorena and it show . give a relatively big budget ( by european independent standard ) and a cast to die for and amigorena squanders it all from the beginning . september 5th 2001 and a french secret agent and irène montano and be contact by a one time american colleague and elliot and and ask to bring his daughter to meet him in paris . however when elliot secret american son and a dangerous hit man and john turturro and show up the meeting be cancel . irène quickly learn that elliot have secret information concern imminent event in the u . the meeting be reschedule for september 10th in venice . irène and elliot child head to venice with william pound in toe for a showdown with elliot . amigorena film be curiously lacking suspense . it be one of the least thrilling thriller i have ever come across . the link with september 11th 2001 be an intriguing idea and but it get bogged down and ultimately lose in the poorly develop narrative . but bad than that be the empty feel the 2 major set piece leave . the first involve the abandon paris meeting when william pound arrive at the hotel to surprise irène and elliot . this should be edge of the seat stuff and set up the entire picture and however amigorena fail to engage the audience with flabby editing and too many close up shot . high jinx this ain not . the second major set piece be the final showdown between irène and pound . this be even bad . the director completely fail to make it thrill and leave the film with a flat hung over feeling . in between we be give a mixture of thriller and comedy with an odd family drama thrown in a irène and elliot child try to meet up with the elusive american spy . the film few strong point can be find in these section . a play by juliette binoche and irène be an interesting character in search of a good film . we learn that she be a french secret agent involve in middle eastern activity in the early 1990s . now she have an office job and or a she put it she be a spy teacher . it be refresh to see a female character in this sort of film who be every bit a tough and interesting a a male counterpoint . binoche grab the role with both hand and be very different to her usual persona . sadly she be let down by the script which actually have her make duck and sheep noise at one point and have a pillow fight in another . but when she be show at work a a secret agent and gun in hand and she be compel . a william pound john turturro be undermine by the script . the character be entirely ridiculous . an assassin who phone his analyst after kill someone and who quote homer a he clean his bloodied knife after garrote an italian agent . it come across a utterly ridiculous and too far out to be an interesting or powerful nemesis for irène . why he be so hell bent on get elliot be never properly explore . a elliot nick nolte have a few scene at the end . he do add some gravitas to the film and embody the enigma of elliot the film have create and but alas it be too much too late . the technical spec of the film be first rate and with dp christophe beaucarne do top work with the visuals . paris be a neon lit rain soak city and while venice be film from an intimate and non picture postcard point of view . the film often blur in and out of focus and a visual trope of irène eyesight minus her spectacle and but also a metaphor for the blurred reality of international terrorism and the involvement of u and european secret service . in the end quelques jours en spetembre have very little to recommend it . a film that have the potential and cast to be something special be not realize on any level and amigorena fails to put a distinctive directorial mark on this disorder hodge podge . the film end on a breaking news report from new york city on the morning of september 11th . what irène do next i suspect would have make a far more interesting few day in september than those we witness from the 5th to that fateful day in 2001 .