---
name: "Xavier Gens"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/xavier-gens"
roles: ["Assistant director trainee","Director"]
born: "27 April 1975"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-17T15:38:18.466027+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Xavier Gens

Assistant director trainee and director. Born 27 April 1975 in Dunkerque, France.

## Details

- **Work:** Assistant director trainee, Director
- **Born:** 27 April 1975, Dunkerque, France
- **Active:** 1998–present
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 2: 1 directing, 1 crew
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 80 (1), 2020s 74 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xavier_Gens, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q935646, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1164755/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/18184

## Coming up

- *A Man of His Time* (2026-09-30), Co-Producer

## Streaming the US now

- **AMC+:** [*Gangs of London*](https://film.one/tv/gangs-of-london.md) (74)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Xavier Gens

> Xavier Gens is a capable director of extreme violence, worth following when the choreography is the attraction. *Gangs of London* suits his strengths, but also shows why inventive fights need more convincing stories around them.

In *Gangs of London* (2020), the fights are inventive even when the gangland plotting becomes less persuasive. We were excited by the choreography, then worn down by the relentless brutality. Xavier Gens directed three episodes, an assignment well suited to his interest in violence and people under extreme pressure. His handling of action is worth seeking out, though we would recommend it to enthusiasts with strong stomachs rather than make a general invitation of it.

His feature breakthrough came from two different jobs in the same year. He wrote and directed the French-language horror *Frontier(s)* (2007), associated with New French Extremity, and directed the English-language studio film *Hitman* (2007). The latter was compromised by studio interference, which makes it an awkward film on which to base a verdict about his control. The independent *The Divide* (2011) put human behaviour under pressure at the centre of a post-apocalyptic survival story. Across these changes of production, his recurring interest is what people do when their circumstances become intolerable.

In *Gangs of London*, created by Gareth Evans, he works within a shared production, and we would not hand him sole credit for its action. The programme gives him scope for his strengths in choreography and extreme violence, while Sope Dirisu supplies the commanding presence that helps hold our attention. Dirisu is an important part of why the series remains worth watching when the plotting falters. Our reservation is about the relentlessness: even inventive brutality becomes wearing when there is so much of it.

The shark thriller *Under Paris* (2024), which he also wrote, continues his work in genre cinema. It is a recognisable choice for a filmmaker who has moved between extreme horror, post-apocalyptic survival and gangland action. We are most interested when his skill at staging violence is matched by a performer who can keep us involved between the fights. Start with *Gangs of London*, provided a punishing evening is what was intended.

## Biography

Xavier Gens is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. Born in Dunkirk in 1975, he began by directing short films before making his feature debut with the English-language action film *Hitman* (2007).

He is known for directing the horror films *Frontier(s)* (2007) and *The Divide* (2012), as well as *Cold Skin* (2017). Gens has also worked in television, directing episodes of *Crossing Lines*, three episodes of the first season of *Gangs of London* (2020), and episodes of *Lupin*. His later feature credits include *Under Paris* (2024).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, hollywoodsoapbox.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

### Directed (1)

- *Gangs of London* (2020), Fi1m 74, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/gangs-of-london.md)

### Crew (1) — the average rests on these

- *Ronin* (1998), Fi1m 80, Assistant Director Trainee — [page](https://film.one/film/ronin.md)

## Complete filmography (46)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *A Man of His Time* (2026), Co-Producer
- *Havoc* (2025), Second Unit Director
- *The Curse* (2024), Co-Producer
- *Under Paris* (2024), Director, Screenplay
- *Mayhem!* (2023), Director, Writer, Co-Producer
- *Houria* (2023), Producer
- *The Rock of Ages* (2021), Producer
- *Lupin* (2021), series, Director
- *Gangs of London* (2020), series, Director — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/gangs-of-london.md)
- *Mortel* (2019), series, Director
- *Papicha* (2019), Producer
- *Budapest* (2018), Director
- *Hostile* (2018), Executive Producer
- *Cold Skin* (2017), Director
- *The Crucifixion* (2017), Director
- *Cell* (2016), Executive Producer
- *Where is Rocky II?* (2016), Executive Producer
- *The Last Panthers* (2015), series, Second Unit Director
- *Crossing Lines* (2013), series, Director
- *The ABCs of Death* (2013), Director
- *The Divide* (2012), Director
- *Edwige* (2011), Producer
- *The Assault* (2011), Thanks
- *The Incredible Adventures of Fusion Man* (2009), Director, Writer
- *Lady Blood* (2008), as L'homme tabassé
- *Hitman* (2007), Director
- *Frontier(s)* (2007), Director, Writer
- *Sable noir* (2006), series, Scenario Writer, Director
- *Le bon, la brute et les zombies* (2004), as Impaled zombie
- *The Captive* (2000), Assistant Director Trainee
- *30 Years* (2000), Casting Director
- *The Secret Laughter of Women* (1999), Assistant Director Trainee
- *Les Kidnappeurs* (1998), Unit Manager
- *Ronin* (1998), Assistant Director Trainee — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/ronin.md)
- *RPM* (1998), Assistant Director Trainee
- *On Guard* (1997), Unit Manager
- *Never Ever* (1997), Assistant Director Trainee, Production Assistant
- *Madame Jacques on the Croisette* (1997), Assistant Director, Second Unit Director
- *Double Team* (1997), Assistant Director Trainee
- *Maximum Risk* (1996), Assistant Director Trainee
- *Malin Fors*, series, Director
- *Homewrecker*, Director
- *Under Paris 2*, Associate Producer
- *Lady Chang*, Director, Producer, Screenplay
- *The Guns of Christmas Past*, Director
- *Condamner a tuer*, Director

## Gallery

- ![Cast of French film Frontière(s). Photo shot in Gerardmer during Fantastic'arts festival. From left to right : Samuel Le Bihan, Karina Testa, Aurélien Wiik, Mau (2008)](https://film.one/media/person/364683/gallery-a10e53267d9b.jpg) Cast of French film Frontière(s). Photo shot in Gerardmer during Fantastic'arts festival. From left to right : Samuel Le Bihan, Karina Testa, Aurélien Wiik, Mau (2008) — Sebb-fr, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Equipe_film_frontieres.jpg/1280px-Equipe_film_frontieres.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Xavier Gens](https://film.one/media/person/364683/gallery-0707858005fa.png) Xavier Gens — Iñigo Royo, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Xavier_Gens.png/1280px-Xavier_Gens.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Xavier Gens et Bérénice Béjo présentant le film "Sous la Seine", au festival de Gérardmer, en janvier 2024.](https://film.one/media/person/364683/gallery-f8b580a455e6.jpg) Xavier Gens et Bérénice Béjo présentant le film "Sous la Seine", au festival de Gérardmer, en janvier 2024. — ManoSolo13241324, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Xavier_Gens_et_B%C3%A9r%C3%A9nice_B%C3%A9jo_2024.jpg/1280px-Xavier_Gens_et_B%C3%A9r%C3%A9nice_B%C3%A9jo_2024.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network. Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell. (2011)](https://film.one/media/person/364683/gallery-a7dac8b4ac62.jpg) Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network. Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell. (2011) — Canadian Film Centre from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Xavier_Gens_with_Michael_Biehn%2C_Milo_Ventimiglia_%26_Michael_Eklund_at_THE_DIVIDE_screening_at_%40TADFilmFest_%286281940418%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/xavier-gens