User Reviews

This is how you make an action-packed thriller. Swift, brutal and void of any kind of silly subplots that give too much time to words when the characters should just be racing for their lives. They quickly establish the characters in a clean and effective way and then shock you by going right into the action. With a very nice 80 minute runtime the film breezes by without dragging for a moment and you really just get caught up in the exciting chaos of it all. There's definitely no reinventing the wheel here, but it stands up with Taken and Running Scared as one of the best action films to come out this past decade. It was exactly what I wanted.

There were some moments that really made me sit up in my chair just by how much of a gut punch they were; some things I definitely didn't see coming. Gilles Lellouche is a great leading man, capable of portraying both the everyman and the action star qualities of his character while still being completely believable when he has to portray the dramatic moments to keep you on his side and understanding of what he is fighting for. It's stylish as hell and is seriously just pushing it's foot to pavement for the entire running time. This is a real crowd-pleaser.

French cinema is well known to the audience, especially to those tending to Art film. Besides French film influence which is the reference in the field, France is also very well known as a land of the Crime genre. I am myself great fan of their Film Noir and New Wave and I am totally crazy about their crime (gangster) movies from earlier periods and contemporary as well.

French crime movies did not loose its charm even today, and almost every year there are few great titles. It comes to my mind modern director like it is Olivier Marchal which movies I like very much, but there are respectable list of other names, both directors and actors.

Point Blank movie did not disappoint, and it were a pleasure to watch it. Even the name reminds me on classic US crime movie with Lee Marvin, but it have nothing similar with it. The plot of Point Blank is good, and somehow original, even it is not hard to predicts the end, which is usual for most movie.

This is not pure crime movie, I would add that there is a bit of thriller smell in it. The actors did a good job, especially well known actor Roschdy Zem which can be seen in most of the crime movies. I am not familiar with director Fred Cavaye, but he did a good job here, and he offer us fine work in tradition of French crime cinema.

For those looking for typical Hollywood action pack, maybe it is better to look at something else, but for those that like classic action crime European movie, it is more than recommended.

Smart action thrillers are rare. Rarer still is a smart action thriller that features a complex yet comprehensible (and credible) plot, characters you care about, and vivid, crisp directing. "Point Blank" is one of these rarities. It utilizes many elements of classic action films—an innocent "good guy" who unwittingly becomes caught up in a dangerous plot, a woman in jeopardy, corrupt cops, and unexpected twists. The film avoids cliché, however, and it moves along at lightning speed (total running time is about 80 minutes). The French setting is an added bonus, and the acting and editing are very well done. Subtract a star if subtitles annoy you.

Outside of Hollywood, good and realistic action films can be successful without the Hollywood Big 3 of American action films.....CGI, car chases and boo-coo explosions. And, French films always deliver when mean, harsh, brutal and uncaring play the main roles. Great looking pregnant wife, Liam Neesom-resembling husband, despicable and brutal criminals uncaring about human values and life, and brutal dirty cops even less caring about human life made this one of my faves for the year so far.

Point Blank was a 100% serious film with great pacing and no smart-ass or comedic side tracks or poorly placed romance throw-ins as are so often stupidly done by Hollywood, plus it had plenty of the most terrifying and brutal behavior of human psychopathy to scare you silly. Other than a few timing errors where the director stayed with a few scenes longer than he should have for best effect, such as the one when the dirty cop was discovered, it was a well done seat-edge thriller to the end. And, yes, we all knew how it would end, as all those horrible experiences resulted in a typical ending.......good for the good guys and bad for the baddies.

How regular people in real life could ever have more or less normal lives after all that bloody terror and murder is beyond my understanding, but somehow these film characters seemed to be able to do it.

I discovered this thriller ordering some good DVDs on Amazon. I thought it must not be bad with 4.5/5 stars and rating of 6.8 out 10 on IMDb. Then the running time with 80 minutes is not so long. In fact I wasn't disappointed and I spent with my wife an entertaining evening. All the actors and the director did a good job here. Some scenes were perhaps too violent and one or two sequences not very clear to follow. But if you can look away from these little flaws it works for a solid action movie. It's not the one you will talk days later but it's definitely one of the better ones you can buy or rent in this genre. Just check it out. It takes you quick on a fast paced and packed cat and mouse chase. This will take your breath away. 6/10.

Point Blank (2010)

Not to be confused with the semi-classic 1967 movie of the same title with Lee Marvin, this is not a remake or an echo of that. What this French action thriller is fits another category--the non-stop kinetic run from the bad-guys film, which has become a kind of staple. Think the Bourne movies, or a couple later Liam Neeson films, where the hero gets himself into a terrible situation that requires running and running and running.

And that's enough, in a way, because you can't stop looking. There are no lulls. In fact, some of the moments have such kinetic surprise to them they deserve study. Your stomach will turn. Don't expect a big rationale. Don't even quite expect to care for anything except that our main man, and his wife, survive the ordeal. There are crosses and double-crosses. There is horrid abuse of women which I could do without (the rationale might just be the perils of Pauline kind of thing, saving her with the handsome male to the rescue, but it's just plain abusive). There is one female cop who is a great tough archetype. And lots of bad violent men.

But, truly, none of this is meant to matter. You just grab onto the handles and don't let go. It's really really well made, visually, the camera-work and editing taking front seat. I'd see it on the biggest screen you can, since that's where it's all at.

point blank doesn't have very deep characters (but still it's amazing how the dramatic scenes work) , nor a huge complex plot, and it's not about metaphors or cultural references. It's a fast paced action ride, that changes all the time, that knows very well how to manage their timings in the scenes. It's really a cool action flick, and you realize how short it is when it ends. It was conceived as a thrill fun, short ride, an after that you just take a deep breath, because you saw people running during the 80 minutes.

It's not the most amazing film ever, but if you look for a nice film keeping you on the edge of the seat, this is widely recommended.

This was a punchy, French, action based film that was quite good, but with more developed characters, could have been brilliant.

Point Blank is well paced, dramatic, entertaining and I suppose most importantly believable. A criminal escapes murder, whilst in hospital, and forces his nurse to team up with him, as he avoids the police and his killers. The reluctant nurse aids the gangster, with his kidnapped pregnant wife held captive, to escape what is a corrupt police unit. To say any more would almost spoil the plot.

PB is ambitious, true to the action-chase genre and boasts some nice French cinema, and culture elements (especially visually), but ultimately comes up short of anything other than just plain good. A refreshing spin on this sort of thing, providing a decent afternoon's viewing.

Yup, Point Blank is a no lulls, come-atcha action movie made all the more believable by the nice plot and superior script. No superspy here, just an everyman caught up in the wrong place & time.

And yes, there are a few plot twists that I find a bit hard to swallow, but because the protagonist is so compelling & believable, I'll take them without looking back.

I credit the editing on this movie for keeping it surgically precise. There are no breaks or falters, Point Blank keeps building towards it's action climax.

9/10 - Highly Recommended.

nail-biting action-thriller with one memorable chase scene in an underground train station.

Samuel (Gilles Lellouche) is dragged into midst of conspiracy and cops on trail of a dangerous criminal when his pregnant wife Nadia (Elena Anaya) is kidnapped and held hostage. Samuel is ordered to help wounded Sartet (a charismatic Roschdy Zem) out of hospital and his wife will be returned safely to him.

Standing on the way are cops who just discovered Sartet is wanted for slew of robberies and a suspect in a homicide. It's just the start of a nightmare for Samuel and he must quickly adapt to the growing perilous situations if he wants to rescue Nadia.

World class editing by Benjamin Weill helps propel the French film at Concorde speed with perfect amount of intensity and excitement.

*** out of 4.

This was probably the best action film of 2010, which is somewhat surprising considering it's a mid-budget French movie with a lean script and actors unknown to English-speaking audiences. Despite the possible handicaps, this pared-down thriller turns out to have the vitality and excitement of one of the Greengrass Bourne flicks, and it's very nearly as good.

The storyline is simple but intricate: the archetypal everyday family man is drawn into a complicated conspiracy of murder and betrayal when he saves the life of one of his patients following a murder attempt. His wife is thus kidnapped, and he spends the rest of the movie in a desperate race against time to save her. It sounds like TAKEN but it takes a much more realistic, thriller-style approach rather than going for the all out action style; for the record I like both films equally well.

Gilles Lellouche is expertly sweaty as the ultra-anxious guy driven to desperate extremes by the situation, but the film really belongs to Roschdy Zem as the Algerian criminal who starts out as an innocent, becomes a bad guy, and finally turns into something much, much more and better besides. His character avoids cliché throughout and he gives a reserved, oddly touching performance despite his character's rough, violent ways.

This is a short film (80 minutes odd) and it's action packed, with the action mostly taking the form of pulse-pounding chase sequences that support and enhance the thriller aspects of the story. It starts off well, drawing you into the lives of the characters before letting rip with the suspense, and from that point in it never lets up until the ferocious climax. It truly is a great movie, and a second watch close on the heels of the first merely confirms my first impressions.

Safecracker Hugo Sartet (Roschdy Zem) escapes from two thugs and gets run over by a motorcycle. He is unconscious in the hospital where an assassin tries to kill him. He is saved by the quick reaction of nurse's aide Samuel Pierret (Gilles Lellouche). Police Commandant Fabre (Mireille Perrier) is given the case. Samuel is attacked at home and his very pregnant wife Nadia (Elena Anaya) is kidnapped. He is told to remove Hugo out of protective custody. The planned exchange goes wrong. He joins Hugo to take down corrupt Commandant Patrick Werner (Gérard Lanvin) and recover his wife.

It's an action-packed thriller. It's very tight and rather short at a little over eighty minutes. The caper inside the police station is thrilling. The story itself has a few holes but the quick pace of the movie doesn't allow them to linger. After the initial failed assassination, it seems easier for Werner to kill Sartet without needing to commit a kidnapping. The whole premise is a little convoluted. I'm also unsure of why Werner is keeping incriminating video of his crime instead of destroying it. The costume department needs to find different colors. Everybody is wearing black leather jackets and too many people look the same. The adrenaline-laced action never lets up and these minor flaws are papered over.

'Point Blank' begins with a bang. Some murderous armed assailants are hunting a wounded man, Hugo, through the streets of Paris. After several minutes of frantic evasion, Hugo is struck by a speeding vehicle and whisked off to hospital. While he lies in a near-comatose state in the ICU, his ruthless pursuers make a further assassination attempt, which is foiled by a male nurse called Samuel. The goons promptly kidnap Samuel's pregnant wife Nadia, and blackmail him to extricate their quarry from the hospital. Samuel revives the critically injured man with some magic potion from the dispensary, spirits him out of the building and joins him on the run, since the police have now learned the former patient is a wanted murderer.

The frantic pursuit continues until the film's final moments - and except for the French dialog, 'Point Blank' is indistinguishable from a cookie-cutter Hollywood action thriller. Its paper-thin plot possesses some fleeting moments of credibility - unless one makes the mistake of examining them too closely. The action sequences are gritty and realistic - except when they lapse into the standard preposterous stunts that are obligatory in this genre of film. Apart from these drawbacks, the story's principal flaw is that Samuel and Nadia are so brave and sympathetic that the conclusion of their journey through the criminal underworld and corrupt cops of Paris is never in doubt. A thriller lacking the crucial ingredient of tension is scarcely a thriller at all.

this movie will keep your eyes open and sit on the edge of your chair once it starts. i often consider the good french action thrillers are the most creative and original, that's why Hollywood keeps copycatting and adapting from the french movies one after another once there are new good french thriller movies in the market. "the next three days(not a bad adaptation)" and "the tourist(just horrible!)" are the most recent examples adapted from the french originals.

this 'point blank' is a great thriller from beginning to the end. the chases from the hospital to the subway station and the chaos in the hospital and the police central are just exceptionally directed, edited, acted. i was sleepy before watching this movie, but once it started, the heavy eyelids just became light and wide open.

i didn't quite like the final scene. it seems a bit unnecessary but at the same time quite necessary, and that's a funny thought.

nice tight story...the acting was very very good all around.... again...movie is only 84 minutes short...wish it were longer.... literally one of the better thrillers i've watched in a long time.... the movie starts of fast and doesn't let go...full of taut suspense and action scene after scene... wish there were more suspense thrillers this well done out there as this is my favorite genre of movie.... what i really liked was that nothing was really over the top acting wise although the story itself might be a little far-fetched for some... but one wouldn't really mind as the movie itself is totally engrossing as too leave one almost breatheless... i also like the fact that the hero wasn't over the top and look like your everyday joe... if you get a chance don't miss out on this movie....definitely a well spent 84 minutes....

Someone who complains about "lack of depth" doesn't get it. This is a very well-acted--in fact brilliantly acted--well-directed, well-paced, well-plotted thriller. If you want "depth", see subtle films about love and betrayal and friendship, etc. Nothing wrong with that, but this is a thriller. We know enough about the characters to make us care, and man, we do care! and make them believable. That's quite enough for a thriller.

As others have observed, the actors are magnificent. First, the unwilling hero: as in great Hitchcock films (I'm thinking particularly of "North by Northwest"), he's an ordinary guy, not a tough, trained super-hero. Gilles Lelouche is totally convincing in that role. And the one who seems to be the bad guy, Roshdy Zem, and who develops in the course of the film, is perfect. Neither he nor anybody else in this film overacts.

I think you should know up front that I am NOT the intended audience for "Point Blank" and my score of 6 might just reflect that. I am not a big fan of violent films nor, especially, do I enjoy films which are non-stop action movies. I am not saying they're bad...but I don't enjoy them. I can respect "Point Blank" but didn't exactly love it...which isn't a huge surprise. I mostly watched it because I enjoy French films.

The film begins with a violent chase scene. A man has been shot and then, unexpectedly, get hit by a car. It's almost impossible to imagine a guy surviving this...let along running about like an action hero for most of the film...and that's why I knocked a few points off the movie right off the bat. This just didn't make sense and he was NOT a Terminator!!

Anyway, back to the film. While the guy is in intensive care, someone tries to kill him--slicing his respirator hose. Fortunately for him, a nurse's aid discovers this and saves him. As payment for his good deed, some folks knock him senseless and then kidnap his very pregnant wife. Then he gets a message that he must sneak this injured guy out of the hospital...which he does. What follows is a long series of chase scenes, fights, shootings and pretty much everything else they could cram into the film. Again, much of it is done by a guy who only minutes before was in ICU...clinging to life.

Perhaps you'll enjoy it. The action is gripping and the film is non-stop. I just thought it sometimes just didn't make a lot of sense.

There's something of the spirit of 'Run, Lola, Run' about this latest thriller to use the title 'Point Blank': a vaguely realistic feel but basically a lot of action, and a plot that does little more than justify one thing happening after another. Indeed, the plot itself isn't realistic at all, and in fact, what starts out as an interesting (albeit somewhat clichéd) story of one man getting embroiled in something above his head soon becomes farcical (the entire police force is corrupt to the point of attempting to murder innocent pregnant women, but don't worry, because two people, one of them a nurse, can two-handedly storm an entire police station...). It's fast-moving and doesn't outstay it's welcome; but it still comes a poor second to John Boorman's wonderful new-wave thriller of the same title.

In 2008, Fred Cavaye's directorial debut 'Anything for Her,' was both critically and commercially successful to the point that it was instantly bought up by an American production company and released within two years in 2010 under the title 'The Next Three Days'. This year he returns with another crime-thriller, 'Point Blank' ('A Bout Portant'), a fast-paced, chase-centric, Besson-esque film, which had the potential to add something new to the genre, but instead fell into the same-old, safe trap of regurgitating the old, rather than attempting something new.

Samuel Pierret (Gilles Lellouche) is happily married to his wife Nadia (Elena Anaya) who is seven and a half months pregnant, while he works in a Paris hospital and within a matter of weeks he will take his nurses exam. However, when he saves a mystery patients life (Roschdy Zem) for a brief moment he is seen as a hero until it is revealed that the patient is a wanted criminal, and Samuel's life begins to fall apart as he told he must break the unconscious prisoner out of hospital or he will never see his wife again. With his pregnant wife kidnapped, he is framed for various crimes he did not commit and he must fight both sides of the law as he flees through Paris with only one thought on his mind; the safety of his wife and unborn child. 'Point Blank' is a relatively generic crime-thriller which spans a modest eighty-four minutes. The action sequences are fast, fluid and uncompromising just like the antagonists of the piece. While the main protagonist in the nurse Samuel and his hostage, the criminal gangster Sartet, play their roles perfectly, but where the film falls flat is in its failure to reward their effort.

Little attempt is made to place any depth into the various characters employed in the story, we know the basic motivations behind the main protagonists and antagonists, but nothing else is revealed beyond that. They simply become, despite the actors efforts to place some characterisation in place, caricatures of the stereotypical roles used in the majority of distinctly average crime-thrillers that are released today. Also this is a fault in tandem with the film's running time, eighty-four minutes in length doesn't provide enough screen-time for the audience to become accustomed, recognised and relatable to the characters on-screen nor does it allow enough time for the narrative to slowly unravel itself. Instead during the final act various motives and side-stories are bounded about with diminutive conviction and this detracts away from an already non-existent central plot. Cavaye's second feature-length film is a competent effort that simply lacks any innovation or speciality; instead it falls into the same old trap of relying on generic conventions that make it an average crime-thriller at best.