This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrant a more in-depth discussion, which is what I normally do, so this range does not cover all movies, just the ones that I think are suited to this format.
Lost Bullet is a French, action movie written and directed by Guillame Pierret and stars Alban Lenoir as a crook who is forced to work with a police task force to catch a drug smuggling operation, however things go wrong and he is framed for a murder he did not commit and is now on the run, trying to prove his innocence. On the surface, and by watching the trailer, you would be forgiven for thinking that this is the French, knock-off version of “Fast and Furious” and I fully expected to generally dislike this movie. In reality, this is a pretty good, short but sweet, action movie that is a fine addition to the genre and a worthwhile investment for genre fans.
Like its Hollywood counter-part, Lost Bullet has no real interest in story and the characters are likeable enough to go on this adventure with, but that’s about it; there are no real surprises and it does not execute any specific story beat or character ark differently or well enough to be of note. What actually matters for this movie is that they are not in any way bad enough to take you out of the experience and serve as the set-up for what the movie is actually interested in: The action set-pieces. These include an impressive array of motifs like close quarters combat in a room that escalates to different sections of the building, car chase sequences, glorious destruction of cars and practical sets (to a lesser extend), shootouts, and smaller espionage-styled suspense moments. This is Lost Bullet’s best feature; there is so much variety and skill on display, and they also understand that this should be a quick and effective action movie. You go in, get introduced to the important bits, have tons of excuses for fun set-pieces, end it appropriately, and stop there.
Beyond that, I found everything else to be of adequate or good quality; cinematography is very good in the set-pieces and okay in the other parts; music was forgettable, but I did like the sound design a lot (especially in the crashes or the fires). Performances were a mixed bag; I liked the protagonist as far as the set pieces were concerned, and thankfully he did not have much dramatic moments, while everyone else, for the most part did their part justice. I was especially fond of the directing, as Pierret ejects some much-needed personality to the writing and to the movie as a whole, that allows the movie to move past its more generic moments with a bit more flair than otherwise possible. Furthermore, its clear he has an eye for action set-pieces and particularly crafty brain to solving issues related to set-pieces, budget, and time constraints (apparently this movie was shot in 38 days, which is simply remarkable).
Like this movie, I’m going to keep this sweet and short; don’t expect a masterpiece and you won’t be disappointed. This would work especially well for genre fans and it’s a pretty easy-going and properly paced movie, that’s GOOD enough to give fans the thrills they expect from such movies.
Ruler of Owls 