POINT BLANK (A bout portent) (2010)

Genre: Action/Thriller/Crime
Director: Fred Cavave
Cast: Gilles Lellouche, Roschdy Zem, Gérard Lanvin, Elena Anaya, Mireille Perrier, Claire Pérot
Runtime: 1 hr 24 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Some Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: MVP and GVP
Official Website: http://a-bout-portant.gaumont.fr/

Opening Day: 15 March 2012

Synopsis: Samuel (Lellouche) is a happily married nurse working in a Paris hospital. When his very pregnant wife (Anaya) is kidnapped before his helpless eyes, everything falls apart. After being knocked unconscious, he comes to and his cell phone rings: he has three hours to get Sartet (Zem), a man under police surveillance, out of the hospital. Shot on location in wide lens, POINT BLANK is an exhilarating non-stop ride through Paris' streets, subways, hospitals, warehouses, and police stations, as Samuel quickly finds himself pitted against rival gangsters and trigger-happy police in a deadly race to save the lives of his wife and unborn child.

Movie Review:

To be honest, the promotional poster doesn’t work for this tired and cynical reviewer: How many more surprises can an action crime thriller pull off? Besides, the “running man” motif on movie posters is somewhat cliché. What is he running from? Guilt? Bad guys? Falling trees? Also, it turns out that this is a 2010 production which is only making its way to local cinemas after two years – surely something must be wrong somewhere?

Turns out that this is a decent and tightly paced French movie that manages to deliver with its very digestible 84 minute runtime.

Director Fred Cavaye’s movie tells the story of Samuel, a nurse (yes, a male one at that – probably to spice things up a little) who saves the wrong guy. The patient in question is a thief whose henchmen take Samuel's pregnant wife hostage to force him to release their boss from the hospital. A race through the subways and streets of Paris begins, and yes, people start dying. Having to evade cops and the dark criminal underground, things are not looking good for our protagonist – how will this end?

This is the exact question in viewers’ minds when they watch this tout thriller. It’s always nice to have a goodie two shoes character caught between good and evil. With his personal agenda on hand, how will the scriptwriters end his story? Here, Caveyeteams up with Guillaume Lemans to pen this exciting tale of a man torn between two sides.

We may not be familiar with Cavaye’s work over at this part of the globe, and the names of stars Gilles Lellouche, Roschdy Zem, Gerard Lanvin and Elena Anaya do not ring a bell to us either. However, this may be the reason why this movie works. From the start, our attention is hooked by a well choreographed chase scene through the beautiful night streets of Paris. We are introduced to the thief in this scene, before Samuel and his pregnant wife enter the picture. From there on, it is a non stop adrenaline ride as the story plays out at an incredibly brisk speed. There is almost no opportunity to take a breather (hold those bladders, we’d advise slurping happy audiences), and the action is appropriately paced without any feeling particularly tiresome or overdone.     

Lellouche plays the central of Samuel, and you cannot help but emphatise with him, wondering what you would do if you were in his shoes. The ruggedly handsome North African Zem takes on the role of the injured thief, and this is one of those times you wish you are on the bad guy’s side. Lanvin plays a senior police inspector who becomes involved in this mess, while the pretty Anaya plays the helpless pregnant wife.

There are further developments and complications to the plot, and Cavaye manages to contain them without overcooking the movie. The result is an agreeable and serviceable action thriller that may not be groundbreaking, but is recommended for knowing how to entertain and keep its viewers at the edge of their seats. 

Movie Rating:

(A tout thriller that does what it should do – entertain)

Review by John Li