Gab and Driss, childhood friends estranged since leaving the orphanage, lead very different lives: one is a police officer with the Department of Internal Affairs, the other a fixer for thugs. When his first love dies in a suspicious accident, his 17-year-old daughter, Leila, takes Gab's gun and sets out to track down a powerful corporation willing to do anything to cover it up. Forced to join forces, the orphans must stop her before she commits an irreparable act…
This action film had great potential: the situation of orphans in a family-based society isn't so obvious (and I know what I'm talking about); even more interesting is the way they take justice into their own hands: an individual fighting against a powerful corporate director who "has the region wrapped around his little finger" can't expect to win; This somber woman, masterfully portrayed by Suzanne Clément, is an excessively possessive mother whose relationship with her son should have been deeper (“whether I’m in jail or with you, it’s all the same,” says the drug-addicted son). The film’s opening, reminiscent of Chabrol’s “Que la bête meure” (The Beast Must Die, 1969), and the absolute power the upper bourgeoisie wields over its peers could have given it a Chabrol-esque touch.
Director: Olivier Schneider
Writers: Alban Lenoir, Nicolas Peufaillit, Olivier Schneider
Stars: Alban Lenoir, Dali Benssalah, Sonia Faidi
But Olivier Schneider, who worked on James Bond and other films, wanted an adrenaline-fueled thriller: two-thirds of the film consists of car chases, shootouts, and fights in which even the damsel in distress gets involved. It’s all rife with violence, and one might have expected more after such an engaging start.
Comments
Post a Comment