The American action flick is a genre that will never die. But it’s hard to make one that seems fresh, as filmmakers seem to stick to a winning formula. “Point Blank” is an invigorating exception. Strange, because the film does feel just like the best of its genre — except that its characters speak French. The film follows Samuel (Gilles Lallouche), a nurse’s aide in a busy hospital (OK, that part is very un-American). An unidentified man, hit by a motorcycle, lies comatose in his ward. No one knows who he is — but it becomes clear he’s somebody after an attempt is made on his life.
It’s Samuel’s bad luck that he saved the man. He thinks he’s a hero, until someone shows up at his home, kidnaps his pregnant wife, and demands that Samuel get the patient out of the hospital in return for his wife’s life. That turns out to be a problem, because the man has now been identified — he’s Hugo Sartet (Roschdy Zem, from the excellent “Days of Glory”), a much-wanted safecracker. A cop is posted at his bedside 24 hours a day. Samuel will have to figure how to outsmart the cops if he wants to meet his soon-to-be-born daughter.
| On screen |
| ‘Point Blank’ |
| Four stars out of five |
| Starring: Gilles Lallouche, Roschdy Zem, Gerard Lanvin |
| Director: Fred Cavaye |
| Rated: R |
| Running Time: 84 minutes |
There’s as much adrenaline in this film as Samuel gives Hugo to get him out of his coma. As happens to everyday guys sometimes (in the movies), he has to outrun both the good guys and the bad guys. And which is which? Samuel, unfortunately, can’t always tell.
Lallouche is convincing, a nurse who has to man up and outthink some crafty sorts. He doesn’t have a six-pack like most American movie everymen. His confusion, rage and self-congratulation are well-drawn emotions.
Maybe I need to revise my earlier judgment. “Point Blank” only seems American on the surface. Underneath the guilty pleasure lies a much deeper one. The French have always been experts at pleasure.
