Bastion 36

Okay, so Squad 36 - it starts off like it's gonna be this gritty, edge-of-your-seat cop thriller, with a crazy cool chase scene through rainy streets and all that jazz. I was in at first. The main guy, Antoine, is this hot-headed cop who moonlights as a bare-knuckle brawler (because... sure, why not?), and it seems like we're gearing up for some good old-fashioned crime drama. Buuut then it just kind of... deflates. Like when you pour yourself a strong espresso and it somehow tastes like lukewarm tap water halfway through. The plot wanders into this whole corruption scandal thing, but it never hits hard. It just kinda slogs along like a slow walker in a busy hallway-you know how I feel about that. Some folks thought it was a fun ride with decent performances (fair enough), but most reviews I peeked at were like, "Eh, skip it." The ending was super meh - like it was trying to be deep and gritty, but ended up just feeling flat. So yeah, it could be your thing if you just want background noise with some French cops brooding. I'd pass and save my time for something with a bit more bite.

Squad 36 had an intriguing plot antonie is a cop sent to another division for something he was getting blamed for , but after two of his members end up dead and one goes missing he takes it upon himself to find out the truth behind what is happening and a possible correuption involving his former team and as antonie gets closer to the truth his own life might be in danger. The acting was decent. The action and thriller structure were not really great. I thought this film was ultimatly a let down in the end and I wish it was just the little bit better constructed because overall I did not find this film too great.

A typical PolAr crime film from France, but one that surprises with German-language tracks by Rebeka WARRIOR and the band KOMPROMAT in the soundtrack!

The grandson of Jean-Paul BELMONDO (1933 - 2021), Victor BELMONDO (born 1993), plays a young police officer from the French BRI who is transferred to the BAC as a punishment because of his penchant for illegal competitions. Six months later, some of his former colleagues are killed. Apparently the former friends were involved in illegal activities. The investigation reveals further surprises.

Nothing new from the PolAr genre that is so popular in France and beyond! But with French director Olivier MARCHAL, who is primarily responsible for the genre classic 36 QUAI DES ORFEVRES from 2004, a master of his craft delivers a passable NETFLIX film. For fans of the French crime film, which is also somehow the successor to the Italian Poliziotteschi from the 1970s, it is definitely worth a viewing.

The Netflix English-language synopsis is: "Forced out of his elite unit, a troubled cop launches his own rougue investigation when mysterious killings claim the lives of his former colleagues." Okay, sounds promising: maybe a noirish thriller or perhaps a revenge action movie.

Nope! It's a cloying, dour melodrama about coplife that's pretty insipid and pointless. You can tell you're in for a bumpy ride from the outset when the main character, who's supposed to be moonlighting as an underground MMA fighter, shows up for his bouts in a long-sleeve t-shirt. Presumably the actor couldn't be bothered to get in good enough shape to not look ridiculous cage-fighting shirtless.

Regardless the "mystery" elements aren't mysterious, the characters aren't likeable enough to engender interest/sympathy and the movie teases grand conspiracies it has no interest in exploring.

If there's any point to any of this at all it seems to be that one cannot fight City Hall. Fair enough, and there's a way to do that sort of thing right: see e.g. Chinatown and L. A. Confidential. They wove compelling characters, pathos and procedural elements into entertaining mysteries with gutting (Chinatown) and/or downbeat (L. A. Confidential) finales.

This, unfortunately, is more like a smug existentialist wasting the audience's time for two hours before getting to his rather banal point.

So a decent plot for what I would call a crime drama movie. Started a bit slow, but became intriguing as the plot thickened. Relatively good acting and good cast of characters. Some action scenes with guns a blazing! Other scenes a bit slow, but lead you to believe the unit is involved in something nefarious. I wish they spent more time on what the bosses are up to so we can see what's going on. Enjoyed the lead up to the last scenes, but disappointed with the ending. Guess they are teeing this up for a sequel...let's hope so the bad guys end up dead! Overall, enjoyed the movie but wish it was a better ending.