Vile thugs, dirty cops, clean cops, and
thugs with a conscience intersect in 85 action-packed minutes full of surprise
twists and novel stunts.
A botched theft turns into a botched kidnapping, a casino
scam goes awry, and a cop and a crook team up in this fast-faced import. It’s
an extremely stylish movie that put me in mind of the films of Luc Besson (The
Professional, La Femme Nikita), France’s best-known master of action films,
and I wasn’t too surprised to find Besson listed as the co-writer and producer.
This overseas hit, set in 2010 Paris, particularly recalls the Besson-scripted Transporter
movies, but are even more inventive in terms of both plot and action
scenes. (The other writer, Bibi Naceri, plays a crime lord named Taha who, in
an early scene, shoots his subordinates for losing a million euros’ worth of
heroin.)
The two stars of the film are Cyril Raphaelli, a former stuntman and
stunt coordinator, and David Belle, the co-inventor of a martial art-like
discipline called parkour, which involves efficiency of moving through
space and avoiding obstacles. I’d never heard of this, but I have an idea of
what it is after watching the movie. In addition to the usual gunfire, these
two jump, kick, and bust heads without aid of special effects. Both of these
guys have the looks and skills to be action stars. I expect this movie would be
a huge hit if it were in English and had a big name or two in the cast. Maybe
they’ll get Vin Diesel if there’s a remake, but honestly, he’s a poor man’s Cyril
Raphaelli. The above factors and the lack of an American marketing campaign
will probably doom this movie to a short theatrical release, but it’s a must
for fans of no-nonsense action films.
posted 8/16/13
No comments:
Post a Comment