Bastille Day
28/04/16 Filed in: Cinema
When I saw the trailer for Bastille Day it appealed to me, so yesterday we went to see it. The reviews haven't been tremendous but the mix for me was just about right. Set in Paris, with the French speaking French, it provided plenty of action as well as an opportunity to try to understand what was being said - there were of course subtitles.
Idris Elba plays a somewhat rogue CIA officer, Sean Briar, who's on the case of an apparent terrorist bomber whose face has been captured on CCTV. The said bomber, Michael Mason, is however no more than a very proficient pick pocket who happened to 'lift' a bag from the actual bomber, a distraught young French woman, Zoe, who had become embroiled in something far more sinister than she had realised.
It's difficult to review this film without giving away too much of the plot, but suffice it to say that everything isn't what it seems where the bombers are concerned. Briar soon suspects this, and sets out on what is effectively an unauthorised one-man campaign to track down the suspects, but he must first co-opt Mason and find the now petrified Zoe who's in hiding. The trio form an unlikely alliance as they pit themselves against a very dangerous and well resourced enemy.
Idris Elba plays a somewhat rogue CIA officer, Sean Briar, who's on the case of an apparent terrorist bomber whose face has been captured on CCTV. The said bomber, Michael Mason, is however no more than a very proficient pick pocket who happened to 'lift' a bag from the actual bomber, a distraught young French woman, Zoe, who had become embroiled in something far more sinister than she had realised.
It's difficult to review this film without giving away too much of the plot, but suffice it to say that everything isn't what it seems where the bombers are concerned. Briar soon suspects this, and sets out on what is effectively an unauthorised one-man campaign to track down the suspects, but he must first co-opt Mason and find the now petrified Zoe who's in hiding. The trio form an unlikely alliance as they pit themselves against a very dangerous and well resourced enemy.
There's plenty of action as a conspiracy unfolds to use the French celebration of the storming of the Bastille as a cover for a bold crime that will see the perpetrators become very rich. The original suspected terrorist attack, along with further incidents aimed at stirring up public unrest, all turn out to be part of an elaborate smokescreen to disguise the real intentions of the criminals.
Idris Elba makes a pretty good action hero in an already well populated genre and we were pleased to see Thierry Godard in a lead role, he who played Gilou in the superb French crime series Engrenages (renamed Spiral in the UK).
The beautiful young woman who walks naked down the steps in front of the Sacré-Cœur at the beginning of the film, as a distraction so that Michael Mason can pick pockets with abandon, is hardly credited on the popular film review sites. If you're interested, my research indicates that she is the French actress Stéphane Caillard.
I enjoyed this film.
Idris Elba makes a pretty good action hero in an already well populated genre and we were pleased to see Thierry Godard in a lead role, he who played Gilou in the superb French crime series Engrenages (renamed Spiral in the UK).
The beautiful young woman who walks naked down the steps in front of the Sacré-Cœur at the beginning of the film, as a distraction so that Michael Mason can pick pockets with abandon, is hardly credited on the popular film review sites. If you're interested, my research indicates that she is the French actress Stéphane Caillard.
I enjoyed this film.