La proie

Director Eric Valette isn't exactly breaking new grounds but this is well made entertaining action thriller. For those of you who enjoyed Henri-Georges Clouzots & Jean-Pierre Melvilles films, or Luc Besson and of course Olivier Marchals films this should be perfect for you.

When it comes to casting this film doesn't disappoint...for example we have Albert Dupontel plays antihero Franck Adrien very convincingly, and he looks very tough while beating prisoners, shooting police officers, stealing cars etc while trying to save his family.

Alice Taglioni as the sleuth who wont give up her chase after Franck Adrien is new face to me. I don't remember seeing her in any other before but she did a good job here.

Stéphane Debac is very good and gives chilling performance as Jean-Louis Maurel, a person who might be more dangerous then Franck Adrien.

Sergi López I always liked since seeing Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien (2000)here only has small supporting part but is very good.

Biggest flaw here is some plot twists, screen writing could've been better and also, more depth in characters and story etc. It seems that Eric Valette has moved away from well written dark horrors like Maléfique (2002)and only focuses on the action.

But strangely I found this to be more compelling then US produced action thrillers like The Bourne Identity (2002. Just wish Eric Valette could go back to this roots like Maléfique (2002)or at least get a much deeper script. But seems with this film and with Une affaire d'état (2009)that he is moving in another direction.

This almost comes across as a TV Movie but its standard is much higher.

The action is mostly but not entirely in the tension. There are some really nice entirely physical cliffhangers to pull you to the edge of your seat.

The characterisation is superb and the plot, while admittedly a cliché, is excellently implemented.

Anyone who likes police drama or investigative thriller will find this an unusually good film of its genre.

For those that like any amount of the above but also want some eye candy, the cast will appeal to male and female alike.

I'm not that big on cheap melodrama type stuff (preferring deeper movies) but this one got me with the clarity and definition of portrayal of each role in the film.

It shocks. A bit like a knife in the side ;)

A stylish , complex movie driven by main character, an innocent inmate on the run , being realized in ¨The fugitive¨ style and centers on a low-level crook who had to break out of jail in order to save his family from his former cellmate, who results out to be a brilliant but deranged serial killer . As a thief (Albert Dupontel) is condemned and imprisoned but before he gets caught he arranges to hide the loot and it's not just Gendarmerie that are looking for the bank cash . His cellmate is a creepy introvert , Jean-Louis Maurel (Stéphane Debac) , who results to be an alleged rapist/child molester but he claims his innocence and the court finds him not guilty ; Maurel promises him to find his wife (Caterina Murino) and mute daughter when he gets out . But one day, an ex-Gendarme called Manuel Carrega (Sergi Mateu) tells him that Jean-Louis Maurel is a suspicious serial murderer . Franck then plots a twisted plan , as he decides to break her out . As he starts planning and decides to carry out his scheme . Franck devises a daring plan to rescue his wife and daughter , but he is relentlessly pursued by an obstinate policewoman called Claire Linné (Alice Taglioni).

This exciting film contains high-octane action , violence , thrills , suspense , a gruesome escape , bone-crushing mayhem and plot twists . From the start to finish the action , chases and thrills are interminable . Excellent thriller in which nothing is the way it seems , the atmosphere is already tense and the twists and turns are the best part of this movie . In other ways, it feels like a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock , full of attractive characters and edge-of-your-seat intrigue . The film borrows from a handful of hit movies, there are plenty of short-cuts and inconsistencies such as ¨The fugitive¨ , ¨Seven¨ , ¨The Prey¨ , ¨Tell no one¨ , among others . Film's best asset is its brawny stars , who outperform a scenario that offers enough lasting surprises or sustainable characters . The flick was noteworthy for casting some of the finest actors in France including Albert Dupontel as a Bankrobber whose life is turned upside down when his family is kidnapped , as he serves a prison sentence after successfully robbing a national bank and gets escape to look for a sadistic killer . Dupontel is one of the only French players who can capably switch from comedian high jinks to noisy action . Furthermore , there appears Alice Taglioni as a tough police woman and the Spanish Sergi Mateu who usually plays in France . Good production design , the prison seen in the film is actually a combination of real locations and adequate sets ; in addition nice rural outdoors and local villages .

Laurent Turner and Luc Bossi , also producer, wrote a moving screenplay filled with surprises , twists and turns . This is a convincing foray into thriller territory for French director Eric Valette . Valette did formidable work in this picture and filming lasted various months . Eric proves that he can handle action sequences with panache, even if he doesn't really bring anything new to the table. Valette is a notorious writer/director who has achieved some successes . Eric Valette was born in 1967 in Toulouse, location where has filmed scenarios for his films . He is a director and writer, known for ¨State Affairs¨ , ¨one missed call (2008), ¨Maléfique¨(2002) , ¨the hybrid car¨(2010) and "The Prey" (2011). A remake of this Eric Valette's 2011 thriller La Proie is in development at DreamWorks and The Hollywood Reporter is saying that James Croker has been brought on board to pen the script , this U.S. adaptation, The Prey, is being produced by Charles S. Cohen.

It made me sit the whole hell of a movie without feeling the clock. If you did not watch this movie - go for it - it's time for one of the movies !! Especially when it's in language - that I did not believe the film would be so great.

This is a well made well written (the key!) French crime thriller that keeps you entertained.

I enjoyed the French prison part (are they really like this?) with what looked like private bathrooms pillows and desks pens and books etc... The inmates are entertained by cello and harpsichord chamber music (that was funny).

Anyway there are surprises which I love. I even liked the chases up to a point the escape from massive police operations seemed too impossible crack a whip over the writers a little harder there. Also by the time of denouement at the villa I was tiring of the movie...maybe because the first part was so good. And the ending with the letter wasn't needed just adds gimmick to this good movie.

I watched the movie Blood and Wine with Jack Nicholson and Michael Cain last night and the comparison couldn't be starker...this movie was 100 times more entertaining and better shot and directed.

I speak French but makes no difference use the subtitles anyway so I don't miss anything.

RECOMMEND!