Nid de guêpes

This is a beautifully mounted action thriller that creates suspense with a deliberate setup and then wonderfully delivers on those expectations. When it gets going it's truly relentless. This is far better than any American action film of recent years and there's a lesson to be learned here. Especially with creating interesting multi-layered characters we care about coupled with the unpredictability that anyone can get killed at any time. When the audience cares about the characters the main battle of any action flick is won--we have a vested interest. At that point there's no other place to be but on the edge of your seat. If this is not picked up for US distribution it'll be a crime, and our loss.

Well it's not a precinct and maybe assault is too much. But I'm talking about influence and it's obvious what the influences were. If not Carpenter than the western movies Carpenter was inspired by. But you don't have Cowboys and Indians here. You have different kind of guys, who try to get out (or is it in?).

A very well though of french thriller, that is very tense and has a lot of action to hold your attention. And while this has quite a few western influences (as I wrote above), I was expecting an American remake anytime soon, after the movie came out. It didn't happen though, so you have to watch this. Which is not a bad thing. Because the movie is quite good and you have quite a few french stars in it too.

Watching THE NEST I was reminded in quite a few ways of DIE HARD, which I consider to be the archetypal action movie. Very pure of focus, very lean and taught and *incredibly* intense. It's been a long time since a movie kept me on the edge of my seat like this one.

The premise is very simple. A group of special forces soldiers are escorting a mafia head to trial when they're attacked by his men and take refuge in a warehouse. As luck would have it, a gang of thieves choose the same night to rob the same warehouse, and they get caught in the crossfire.

Once the groups of characters are introduced, it's not long before the bullets start flying... and flying, and flying and flying. It's almost non-stop action for the rest of the film, and easily outdoes HARD BOILED for bullet count. I'm sure some people will find this very boring, so if intense adrenalin-inducing action isn't one of your things then skip the rest of this review (and the film). The rest of you, skip the rest of this review and go rent/buy/acquire this film. Hollywood only wishes it could make an action film this pure or this exciting these days.

As regards purity (since I've mentioned it twice), this means that the film focusses on building intense action, and doesn't let itself get distracted with other concerns, except in a few cases. The characters are given just enough development to let us know who they are, and pretty much no back story. One character in particular seems like he must have a story to tell, but all we learn is that he was once a fireman. There was surely more to him than that, but it's kept a mystery. Maybe that's a good thing, but I'd have liked to know a little more. A few times the movie teases you into thinking there's going to be a twist, and you say to yourself "Ha, I see what's coming later", but the plot remains refreshingly twist-free. It doesn't need them, so it doesn't have them. Pure.

It's just a shame that Hollywood's marketing machinery has such an iron grip on the world's cinema distribution that junk like Alien vs Predator will be seen by millions of people, and a movie as good as THE NEST will remain inexplicably classed as "Indie" or "Arthouse", even in its home country.

Just finished watching Nid de Guepes, or the Nest, as it is translated. The beginning I found to be somewhat slow - there is very little dialogue until the sh@t starts to fly in the building. However, I found myself drawn to whether or not and more importantly who would make it out alive.

Overall, for an action movie, it was good - no hero machismo, no action stars . The one and only rescue attempt made (in the truck) is put to rest within a matter of seconds in a hail of bullets; something you don't see quite often in a typical Hollywood blockbuster.

There are no heroes, no guns for glory. It simply tells the story of a group of people, thrown into the same "merde", fighting to survive. Whatever remains of the bravado is quickly put to an end as you see how high the odds were stacked against them - the continuous legion of gunmen assaulting the factory in droves.

Not to mention Fares, switching from French, to Italian to English without missing a beat. Rrrroow.

A good flick

The film is incredible , action starts and doesn't finish until ending title.

This is a first rate movie , plenty of action and very spectacular . It's likeness to an American action film. French movies are solely the European cinema to compete with American market regarding to spectacle cinema.

The flick centers about a bunch that tries to free a Serbian mobster -Angelo Infanti- . Nadia Fares commands the group assigned to protect him and they cross with a bunch of thieves led by Sami Nacery and Benoit Maginel . After a frenetic pursuit , the officers seek refuge , with their prisoner, in a warehouse located in the heart of an industrial park .

The showdown between three groups is breathtaking . The film is pretty violent and savage , everybody will fight until death to obtain their purposes.

In the movie there is action packed , thriller , rip-roaring , drama , gore , violence and it will appeal to whom are looking for strong emotions.

Direction by Florent Emilio Siri is excellent and Alexander Desplat music is riveting .

Rating : Above average , 7/10. Well worth watching .