There's so much going on in A Violent Life that it's difficult to follow the who's, what's and why's of the plot, while de Peretti seems to know his material so well that he's unable make it clear for the rest of us.

DP Claire Mathon's lensing keeps pace with the action without overdoing the handheld dynamic, giving the film a compelling physical vitality that happens to be one of [Thierry] de Peretti's key strengths.

The complexity of A Violent Life will be difficult for many viewers, but this true-to-life moral intricacy is also what makes it such a valuable portrait of Corsica.

A Violent Life has conjured up a judiciously shot drama that nonetheless feels as distant and at arm's length as the island and the generation it portrays.