Alban Lenoir, the franchise's star, makes a triumphant return in Lost Bullet 2, and the plot picks up where the previous movie left off. For those who missed it, Lenoir played Lino in the first movie, a small-time criminal with a talent for turning ordinary automobiles into hacked supercars. After a heist goes wrong and he faces jail time, Lino decides to join the police task squad. He is falsely accused of murder when his mentor and brother are killed by dishonest police officers in the suspenseful thriller. The ex-con needs to find a missing car that possesses the only item that can prove his innocence: a bullet.
Similar to the first movie, the sequel's principal actor Lenoir and director Pierret work together as screenwriters. The two definitely cared about delivering more of what succeeded the first time around and keeping the action-packed tale moving at a frenetic pace. A brief flashback to what happened in Lost Bullet is given at the beginning of the new movie to set the scene for the sequel. Briefly, after the passing of his mentor Charas in Lost Bullet 2, Lino is desperate to find the guilty party. He reappears from the first movie together with Julia, the cop who has a soft spot for him (Stefi Celma), and this time she has a major role in the action. She is appointed to serve as the unit's commander once a new drug unit is established. The plot mentions the illegal drug traffic that takes place across the border between France and Spain, opening the door for a thrilling police chase scene involving both French and Spanish officers.
Lenoir as Lino is increasingly emerging as not just a mechanic, he is also a super driver with abundant fighting skills. Which in turn lets the protagonist be a superhero of sorts, with his customised car as a weapon of 'special powers'. In a way, more than a groundbreaking narrative, the franchise screenwriters are clearly more focussed on the stunts and gimmicks that prop the drama that unfolds.
Scriptwise, a revenge drama featuring fast cars and criminals could remind of, say, the Fast And Furious series of Hollywood. If the Lost Bullet films have managed to craft a distinct space removed from the successful Vin Diesel franchise it is because Lenoir and Pierret render the drama a gritty realistic edge, visually as well as in terms of the violence that goes on. Without hampering pace or getting in the way of the action-adventure, the script of Lost Bullet 2, like its predecessor, tries accommodating an undercurrent hint of socio-political realities in terms of ethnicity and class while visualising its characters and backdrop. Corruption within the system is cleverly highlighted, too, while setting up twists in the screenplay. You spot a dystopic restlessness as Lino and his modified car get down to the business of chase 'n stunts - it's all very Mad Max in complexion but quite uncomplicated and inherently too French in imagination to be a copy of the cult Hollywood series.
The affect, however, is middling. Pierret's direction is mainly focused on maintaining a fast pace while setting up the irreverent action narrative. Lost Bullet 2 is meant to serve as the continuation of an ongoing storyline but the film could work as a standalone adventure, too (to wholly savour the sequel, though, ideally check out the first film before getting down to watching the sequel so as to not miss the context of the drama and the returning characters). Pierret's approach is persistently about trying to set up a milieu for spectacular VFX-loaded thrills, especially car chases, in a bid to regale the loyal fan base the first film garnered. The outcome should keep franchise fans happy.
For a film that narrates a story based on one course of action - Lino's retribution and bringing the villains to justice - Pierret uses the runtime of around 99 minutes to set up taut pace. Faithfully adhering to generic demands and never venturing out to set up something pathbreaking, the narrative manages to sustain viewer interest primarily by creating drama in individual scenes. The frequent long-drawn violence and car chases render an effect as if the film is being narrated in real time, although the approach tends to get monotonous after a while.
Despite focus on a heavy thrill quotient that often borders on gore, director Pierret creates space for the odd emotional moments. Such scenes come as relief amidst the high dose of action but mostly add nothing to progress of the plot. The storyline gives the Lino-Julia relationship a formulaic twist. Since Lino is recklessly unapologetic while realising his revenge mission and Julia is a staunch lawkeeper, the screenplay accommodates drama that involves her chasing him in order to thwart his transgressions. Overall, the screenplay positions Stefi Celma's Julia as the 'good guy' to Lino's bad boy protagonist in the tale that follows a two-hero formulaic division where one lead actor idealistically stays within the limit of law while the other will go to any extent to realise what he wants.
Pierret's direction is ably assisted by cutting-edge tech specs including cinematography (Morgan S. Dalibert) and editing (Sophie Fourdrinoy). Romain Trouillet's background score aids the narrative sufficiently, too, blending generic notes with sounds of the street during the high-speed chases. Technically, Lost Bullet 2 is not as expensive as Hollywood fare of the genre but is stylishly sleek enough. Only, with a final scene that suggests Lino and company will surely hit the road a third time around, we hope for a few smarter twists in the tale along the way.
Similar to the first movie, the sequel's principal actor Lenoir and director Pierret work together as screenwriters. The two definitely cared about delivering more of what succeeded the first time around and keeping the action-packed tale moving at a frenetic pace. A brief flashback to what happened in Lost Bullet is given at the beginning of the new movie to set the scene for the sequel. Briefly, after the passing of his mentor Charas in Lost Bullet 2, Lino is desperate to find the guilty party. He reappears from the first movie together with Julia, the cop who has a soft spot for him (Stefi Celma), and this time she has a major role in the action. She is appointed to serve as the unit's commander once a new drug unit is established. The plot mentions the illegal drug traffic that takes place across the border between France and Spain, opening the door for a thrilling police chase scene involving both French and Spanish officers.
Lenoir as Lino is increasingly emerging as not just a mechanic, he is also a super driver with abundant fighting skills. Which in turn lets the protagonist be a superhero of sorts, with his customised car as a weapon of 'special powers'. In a way, more than a groundbreaking narrative, the franchise screenwriters are clearly more focussed on the stunts and gimmicks that prop the drama that unfolds.
Scriptwise, a revenge drama featuring fast cars and criminals could remind of, say, the Fast And Furious series of Hollywood. If the Lost Bullet films have managed to craft a distinct space removed from the successful Vin Diesel franchise it is because Lenoir and Pierret render the drama a gritty realistic edge, visually as well as in terms of the violence that goes on. Without hampering pace or getting in the way of the action-adventure, the script of Lost Bullet 2, like its predecessor, tries accommodating an undercurrent hint of socio-political realities in terms of ethnicity and class while visualising its characters and backdrop. Corruption within the system is cleverly highlighted, too, while setting up twists in the screenplay. You spot a dystopic restlessness as Lino and his modified car get down to the business of chase 'n stunts - it's all very Mad Max in complexion but quite uncomplicated and inherently too French in imagination to be a copy of the cult Hollywood series.
The affect, however, is middling. Pierret's direction is mainly focused on maintaining a fast pace while setting up the irreverent action narrative. Lost Bullet 2 is meant to serve as the continuation of an ongoing storyline but the film could work as a standalone adventure, too (to wholly savour the sequel, though, ideally check out the first film before getting down to watching the sequel so as to not miss the context of the drama and the returning characters). Pierret's approach is persistently about trying to set up a milieu for spectacular VFX-loaded thrills, especially car chases, in a bid to regale the loyal fan base the first film garnered. The outcome should keep franchise fans happy.
For a film that narrates a story based on one course of action - Lino's retribution and bringing the villains to justice - Pierret uses the runtime of around 99 minutes to set up taut pace. Faithfully adhering to generic demands and never venturing out to set up something pathbreaking, the narrative manages to sustain viewer interest primarily by creating drama in individual scenes. The frequent long-drawn violence and car chases render an effect as if the film is being narrated in real time, although the approach tends to get monotonous after a while.
Despite focus on a heavy thrill quotient that often borders on gore, director Pierret creates space for the odd emotional moments. Such scenes come as relief amidst the high dose of action but mostly add nothing to progress of the plot. The storyline gives the Lino-Julia relationship a formulaic twist. Since Lino is recklessly unapologetic while realising his revenge mission and Julia is a staunch lawkeeper, the screenplay accommodates drama that involves her chasing him in order to thwart his transgressions. Overall, the screenplay positions Stefi Celma's Julia as the 'good guy' to Lino's bad boy protagonist in the tale that follows a two-hero formulaic division where one lead actor idealistically stays within the limit of law while the other will go to any extent to realise what he wants.
Pierret's direction is ably assisted by cutting-edge tech specs including cinematography (Morgan S. Dalibert) and editing (Sophie Fourdrinoy). Romain Trouillet's background score aids the narrative sufficiently, too, blending generic notes with sounds of the street during the high-speed chases. Technically, Lost Bullet 2 is not as expensive as Hollywood fare of the genre but is stylishly sleek enough. Only, with a final scene that suggests Lino and company will surely hit the road a third time around, we hope for a few smarter twists in the tale along the way.