![]() ![]() What makes this a typical Korean genre film is the way it pushes the original’s hardboiled elements to a new level of psychotic fury and punishing violence.Īt some points, it’s as if the characters have been looped into a head-smashing, neck-wringing, bone-crunching continuum that provides no room for a breather between the spectacularly staged main setpieces. ![]() The narrative arc follows “Point Blank” quite closely, despite some differences in the characters’ backgrounds, as well as several location shifts from more intimate settings (like private apartments) to more crowded public places, raising the stakes in terms of danger and chaos. Hunted by three parties - mobster Jung Pil-ju’s henchmen Jung and her junior Soo-jin (Cho Eun-ji) and Senior Inspector Song Kee-chul (Yu Jun-sang), who’s always overriding Jung’s operations - the two men decide to take the offensive. Lee and Baek form an uneasy alliance when they realize that Hee-joo has been held captive by Baek’s brother Sung-hoon (Jin Goo), who’s been the cause of all this trouble. ![]() A hospital bed stuck inside an elevator serves as an unlikely prop for a caged-beast combat scene in which Baek, comatose only minutes before, bounces back like a zombie and kicks merciless ass with a fire extinguisher before battering Jung to the ground, with no chivalrous regard for her gender. It is as entertaining and enjoyable as one would want, however it misses out on the opportunity to be truly great simply by over indulging in some of the more Hollywood action tropes of the genre, with extended car chases and minimal character development.This proves harder than it already sounds, as Lee not only has to dodge the cop sent to guard him by Inspector Jung Young-joo (Kim Sung-ryoung), but also has to contend with Baek, who will tear his way out in order to escape alone. The movie is non-stop and unexpected, yet without being relentless or over enthusiastic with it’s own potential. Lellouche enlists the help of a female police detective, however this move only leads to Lellouche and his captive wife becoming little more than pawns in a strange power struggle between the police and the kidnappers. This is where the film turns its back on the typical thriller tropes. At first Lellouche cooperates with the kidnappers but soon finds he is in way over his head. The start of the film leads, as one would expect, to the kidnapping of Gilles Lellouche’s (the nurse) wife after his involvement with the man at the hospital. As with Cavaye’s original Por Elle, Point Blank is a smart, dark and distinctly European thriller. The movie was directed by Fred Cavaye, the director of the French original Por Elle (Anything for Her) which was remade by Hollywood into the inadequate The Next Three Days with Russell Crowe. ![]() Point Blank is a French language thriller with both the classic tropes of the genre and an unexpected turn on the stereotype a male nurse in a hospital, who until now has lead a perfectly normal life and is expecting a child with his wife, finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy when he saves the life of a patient who had been hit by a motorbike whilst on the run from a group of hit men. Actors: Gilles Lellouche, Roschdy Zem, Gérard Lanvin, Elena Anaya, Mireille Perrier, Claire Pérot, Moussa Maaskri, Pierre Benoist, Valérie Dashwood, Virgile Bramly, Nicky Naudé, Adel Bencherif, Vincent Colombe, Chems Dahmani, Grégoire Bonnet, Brice Fournier, Patrice Guillain, Max Morel, Diane Stolojan, David Saada Directors: Fred Cavayé Producers: Cyril Colbeau-Justin, Jean-Baptiste Dupont Voiced By: Robin De Lano Writers: Fred Cavayé, Guillaume Lemans Aka: À Bout Portant Studio: Sony Genres: Action & Adventure, Thrillers Countries: France Helped by a violent criminal (Roschdy Zem), his life soon descends into series of bloody battles, in a world where no-one is quite what they seem and you face the stark choice every second. With the clock ticking, he must use all necessary force to rescue his wife (Elena Anaya) from her brutal kidnappers. From acclaimed writer/director Fred Cavaye, comes an all out adrenaline fuelled action thriller about a man on the run (Gilles Lelouche), desperately trying to save his wife in a race against time. ![]()
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