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Timeline

Accomplices (2009) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2009 · 93 mins · French
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Directed by
Frédéric Mermoud
Starring
Anne Loiret, Nina Meurisse, Cyril Descours, Laetitia Dosch, Emmanuelle Devos, Gilbert Melki

Two police detectives investigate the murder of a high-end male prostitute, and his relationship with his girlfriend.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (12)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Accomplices
  6. 6 Every angle
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12 events in order · contains spoilers

Accomplices Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Accomplices (2009) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Vince's murder discovered in the Rhône

    Vince's strangled body is recovered from the Rhône River in Lyon, triggering a murder investigation. The case quickly reveals Vince's double life as a high-end male prostitute with clients found online and in hotels. Two Lyon detectives, both single and childless, take on the inquiry.

    Where
    Rhône River, Lyon
  2. Vince's profession revealed

    Investigators learn that Vince was a high-end male prostitute who met clients online and in hotels. His illicit network exposes a dangerous underworld in the city, affecting the investigation. The detectives begin to reconstruct Vince's final days from online activity and hotel bookings.

    Where
    Lyon
  3. Reb joins Vince

    Reb, Vince's student girlfriend, is recruited to join him in threesomes, expanding his client base and earnings. Their dynamic grows as Reb becomes involved in the arrangement. This setup foreshadows the tensions and violence to come.

    Where
    Lyon
  4. A rough encounter and a brutal flight

    One client becomes rough with Reb during a session, prompting Vince to intervene and beat him. Realizing the danger, Vince and Reb flee the scene with the client left behind. The incident exposes the volatile edge of Vince's business.

    Where
    Hotel
  5. Vince plans to blackmail the client

    Furious at how Reb was treated, Vince decides to blackmail the man and sets up a rendezvous on the top floor of a multi-storey car park. The transaction involves handing over money as part of the blackmail. The scene escalates tensions and foreshadows violence.

    Where
    Top floor of a multi-storey car park
  6. Reb intervenes and the client is killed

    During the money handover, the client attacks Vince with a golf club. Reb intervenes with her motorbike helmet, delivering blows that kill the man. They hide the body in Vince's car and flee the scene.

    Where
    Top floor car park
  7. The pimp claims his share

    Vince's pimp meets him to claim his share of Vince's takings, and a fight develops. The confrontation ends with the pimp strangling Vince and then dumping the body in the Rhône.

    Where
    Rhône River, Lyon
  8. Police charge the pimp

    The detectives charge the pimp with murder, while Reb is not charged at first due to her youth, love for Vince, and pregnancy. Her mother stands by her, influencing how the case is pursued. The investigation centers on the pimp as the primary suspect.

    Where
    Lyon
  9. Reb's pregnancy and family support

    Reb is described as young and pregnant with Vince's child, with her mother supporting her through the ordeal. The circumstances around Reb shape public and legal sympathy, affecting how she is handled by authorities. Her pregnancy is a key factor in the case's progression.

    Where
    Lyon
  10. Doctors alter Reb's statement

    Authorities doctor Reb's statement to exonerate her from the murder charge, removing her from the central criminal case. The pimp bears the blame for Vince's death as the investigation continues. The move highlights the tension between justice and protecting Reb.

    Where
    Lyon
  11. Detectives' pursuit of the truth

    The Lyon detectives relentlessly pursue the truth by tracing Vince's clients, networks, and the car park incident. They weigh the evidence and reconstruct the sequence of events that led from sex work to murder. The investigation exposes a web of exploitation and loyalty.

    Where
    Lyon
  12. Resolution and consequences

    The timeline culminates with the pimp identified as Vince's killer and Reb exonerated, though the events leave lingering questions about loyalty and exploitation. The story closes on the aftermath for Reb and the world surrounding Vince's double life.

    Where
    Lyon

Last updated: April 07, 2026 at 21:05

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Timeline questions answered

Accomplices Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Accomplices (2009): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why did Reb join Vince in his prostitution work

Reb, Vince's student girlfriend, was recruited by Vince to join him in threesomes with clients. This expanded his client base and significantly boosted his earnings. The involvement wasn't presented as coerced, Rebecca entered this world willingly, drawn into Vince's double life while in a relationship with him.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the timeline, Reb's recruitment into the arrangement directly sets up the tensions and violence that follow.

  • reb
  • vince
  • prostitution
  • threesomes
  • girlfriend
Q2

How did the client die in the car park

The client attacked Vince with a golf club during the blackmail handover on the car park's top floor. Reb intervened using her motorbike helmet, delivering blows that killed the man. Vince and Reb then hid the body in the client's car and fled the scene.

Foreshadowing: The earlier rough encounter where the client mistreated Reb, and Vince's decision to blackmail him, foreshadowed this violent confrontation.

  • client death
  • car park
  • murder
  • reb
  • vince
Q3

Why did Vince decide to blackmail the client

Vince was furious after the client became rough with Reb during a session. Rather than letting the incident go, Vince decided to blackmail the man, arranging a rendezvous on the top floor of a multi-storey car park to demand money in exchange for not exposing his activities.

Foreshadowing: The violent encounter where Reb was mistreated directly led to Vince's decision to blackmail the client.

  • blackmail
  • client
  • vince
  • reb
  • car park
Q4

Who killed Vincent

Vincent's pimp, Hervé Cagan, killed him. After Vincent's earnings increased through his expanded clientele (including the threesomes), the pimp confronted Vincent to claim his share. A volatile confrontation ensued during which the pimp strangled Vincent and dumped his body in the Rhône River.

Foreshadowing: The timeline earlier shows Vince's pimp tracking his share, building toward this violent confrontation.

  • hervé cagan
  • pimp
  • vince murder
  • strangulation
Q5

Why wasn't Reb charged with the murder

Reb was not charged because authorities manipulated her statement to exonerate her. She was young, genuinely in love with Vincent, and pregnant with his child. Her mother supported her, and the authorities chose to remove her from the criminal case, allowing the pimp to bear the blame for Vincent's death instead.

Foreshadowing: Reb's pregnancy and her mother's support were factors that influenced how the case was pursued.

  • reb not charged
  • pregnancy
  • statement
  • authorities
Q6

What happened to Reb's pregnancy

Reb was pregnant with Vincent's child. The pregnancy was a key factor in the authorities' decision to protect her from prosecution. Her mother stood by her throughout the ordeal, and the combination of her youth, her genuine relationship with Vincent, and her pregnancy led to her being treated sympathetically by the legal system.

Foreshadowing: Reb's pregnancy was mentioned early in the timeline as a factor shaping the case's outcome.

  • reb pregnancy
  • baby
  • vince child
Q7

Why did authorities doctor Reb's statement

Authorities altered Reb's statement to remove her from the murder case entirely. By modifying her account of the events, they effectively exonerated her so she could not be charged as an accessory to the killing. This allowed the pimp to remain the sole suspect while Reb walked free despite her involvement.

Foreshadowing: The investigation's outcome was predetermined by the sympathies surrounding Reb's situation.

  • reb statement
  • doctored
  • exonerated
  • police
Q8

What was the relationship between Vince and his pimp

Vince worked as a high-end male prostitute under a pimp named Hervé Cagan. The pimp was entitled to a share of Vince's earnings from his clients. When Vince's income increased significantly through recruiting Reb for threesomes, the pimp confronted him to collect his cut, leading to the fatal confrontation.

Foreshadowing: The pimp's claim on Vince's earnings directly triggered the events leading to Vince's death.

  • hervé cagan
  • pimp
  • vince
  • money
  • share
Q9

How did the detectives discover Vince's double life

The two Lyon detectives investigating Vince's murder traced his online activity and hotel bookings to reconstruct his final days. This investigation revealed that Vince was a high-end male prostitute who met clients through the internet and operated in hotels. Their methodical work exposed the dangerous underworld surrounding Vince's profession.

Foreshadowing: The detectives' systematic pursuit of truth gradually uncovered the layers of Vince's secret life.

  • detectives
  • investigation
  • lyon
  • online
  • prostitute
Q10

What did Vince actually do for a living

Vincent led a double life as a high-end male prostitute. He used the internet to meet clients and booked hotels for encounters, quietly building his earnings. His girlfriend Reb was drawn into this world and began helping him expand his client base through threesomes.

Foreshadowing: This secret profession ultimately led to the chain of events culminating in his murder.

  • vince prostitute
  • online clients
  • hotel
  • secret life

Movie threads

More Movies Like Accomplices, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Accomplices tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Gritty police procedurals in the underworld like Accomplices

Detectives uncover dark secrets in the morally corrupt underbelly of society. Discover movies similar to Accomplices that feature intense police investigations into dark criminal underworlds. If you liked the procedural elements and exploration of exploitation in Accomplices, these films offer similarly tense and morally complex crime stories.

  • investigative
  • tense
  • gritty
  • suspenseful
  • bleak
  • corrupt
  • Tone: dark, tense, bleak
  • Pacing: steady, methodical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These narratives typically follow a methodical investigation into a serious crime that exposes a wider web of corruption, exploitation, or organized criminal activity. The protagonist's journey involves peeling back layers of deception and confronting the dark realities of the underworld they're investigating.

Why they belong together: They share a focus on investigative procedure within dark criminal environments, maintaining steady pacing with high tension, and exploring themes of exploitation, moral ambiguity, and systemic corruption through the lens of law enforcement.

Morally complex relationship thrillers like Accomplices

Stories where love and manipulation intertwine with deadly consequences. Explore movies similar to Accomplices that focus on toxic relationships with criminal consequences. If you appreciated the dark romantic dynamics and moral complexity in Accomplices, these films offer similarly heavy, suspenseful stories about exploitation and manipulation.

  • tense
  • suspenseful
  • manipulative
  • toxic
  • melancholic
  • anxious
  • Tone: dark, suspenseful, melancholic
  • Pacing: steady, building tension
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These stories typically unfold around a central relationship built on manipulation, exploitation, or deception that becomes entangled with criminal activities. The narrative follows the escalating consequences of this toxic dynamic, often leading to violence, blackmail, or murder, with characters trapped in cycles of dependency and abuse.

Why they belong together: They share a focus on dark, manipulative relationships at the center of criminal plots, creating heavy emotional weight with high tension and moral ambiguity. The combination of toxic romance with thriller elements creates a distinct, unsettling viewing experience.

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Every angle

Accomplices (2009) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Accomplices in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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