A bout portant (Point Blank) - Movie Review

Samuel Barriet (Gilles Lellouche) is a nurse’s aide, a husband, and soon a father. While working a night shift, Samuel notices a stranger meddling with one of the I.C.U. patients’ stations. Before he can confront the man, the patient’s vitals begin crashing but Samuel is able to save him. The next day, he and his wife Nadia (Elena Anaya), who is nine months pregnant, begin their daily routines when Samuel is maliciously attacked by an unknown intruder and knocked unconscious. He awakens next to a cell phone. On the other end of the line is Nadia pleading for mercy; then a deep voice interrupts and explains the situation. In the next three hours, Samuel must free the patient he saved the night before from the hospital which is now overrun with policemen. Once the job is done Nadia will be returned. The catch is that this patient is Hugo Sartet (Roschdy Zem) a well known master thief that is being hunted by a third party because of evidence he possesses that would incriminate a popular city tycoon and a corrupt police unit. Samuel and Hugo soon find themselves on the run from criminals and the police with only a short amount of time to earn each others’ trust.

The plot is simple and familiar, so when it comes to making these suspense thrillers is the quality of execution from the people involved. Gilles Lellouche’s performance as a common man thrown into a radically uncommon situation is superb. His facial expressions holster a constant worry. Even when he believes he is taking charge of the scenario you’re watching a man that could lose his cool and either break down and cry or just shoot everyone that is in his sights. Roschdy Zem is perfectly cast as the slick cat burglar who proves that there is still honor among thieves, but even this thief isn’t afraid to pull the trigger when necessary. Complementing both men is Gerard Lanvin as the corrupt Commandant Patrick Werner. This policeman has no qualms with breaking every rule and murdering any witness to protect him and his crew, and Lanvin’s glassy stare and stone faced jaw emit pure apathy; you don’t know what he is thinking which makes him a very dangerous man.

Director/Writer Fred Cavaye handles the action scenes sensibly, accurately, and at a whirlwind pace that doesn’t harm the story one bit. You catch everything that is happening from the drawn out chase scenes to the close quarters combat spots. He captures all of it with a fine linear texture so you do not miss a beat. I wish more directors would do this instead forsaking a great actions sequence for that annoying shaky camera effect.

A bout portant (Point Blank) is a time well spent and does a great job of showing how an average individual with absolutely no fighting skills or street smarts would react in a hyper-chaotic situation. Like any movie there are a few intangibles that might work in the antagonist’s favor, but who is to say that people become great thieves because they prefer not to kill. I would definitely recommend this film before an American studio picks it up and rapes the story of all of its humanity, leaving only yet another soulless Mark Wahlberg movie. A bout portant is much better than that.