This tense, exhilarating chase thriller takes you on a breakneck rush through the streets and subways of Paris. “One hell of an adrenalin rush… it’s something any fan of the genre needs to see.” — Twitch
Frantic, violent and unrelenting... its tightly packed storytelling making cassoulet of its own implausibilities.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2011
Point Blank 2010
À bout portant
Cutting a swathe through a maze of Paris streets and subways, Point Blank is an exhilarating throwback to an era in pulp action when you could see, from one shot to the next, what the hell was going on. Beginning with a night-time pursuit that crashes into an expertly staged accident, it bolts along at breakneck speed, terse and taut enough to hold the tension level at red alert. Samuel (virile Gilles Lellouche) is a nurse whose very pregnant Spanish wife, Nadia (radiant Elena Anaya), is confined to bedrest. She and the unborn are destined (obviously) to be in grave danger, and their peril begins the moment Samuel is charged with the care of the desperate gunman wounded in the opening chase. The man of peace becomes the man of action, figuring out as he careens around Paris which side of the law he’s up against. If he’d seen the same thrillers as everyone else he’d already know: nuance isn’t this movie’s claim to fame, but it sure as heck knows how to move. — BG