Ad Vitam

Ad Vitam is a French action thriller directed by Rodolphe Lauga and co-written by Lauga, Guillaume Canet, and David Corona. The film follows Franck, played by Canet, a former member of the elite French police unit GIGN, who must save his pregnant wife Léo (Stéphane Caillard) from kidnappers while evading the police.

The movie delivers some impressive action sequences, particularly the stunts filmed in Paris and Versailles. Canet's performance is solid, though some may find it lacking the intensity of other action stars like Liam Neeson or Jason Statham. The plot, however, feels somewhat underdeveloped, with the action scenes taking precedence over character development and narrative depth.

Overall, Ad Vitam offers a mix of thrilling action and a somewhat thin storyline, making it an entertaining watch for fans of the genre, but perhaps not a standout in terms of plot complexity.

Netflix, like other streaming platforms, has to meet certain content quotas in various regions, including Europe. These quotas often require a certain percentage of content to be locally produced . While it's possible that Ad Vitam was produced to meet such requirements, it's also common for streaming services to invest in a wide range of content to appeal to diverse audiences.

Rodolphe Lauga delivers a top-notch action movie that stands out in the genre. What makes French films so appealing compared to Hollywood blockbusters is their focus on realistic scripts, grounded action, and authentic characters, which result in true emotional depth and drama. These are the kinds of action films you want to watch because, unlike Marvel movies, you're not stuck watching the same superheroes in endless, exaggerated battles. In this film, the people, the situations, the locations, and the thrilling chases all feel incredibly lifelike, pulling you into the story and making you feel like you're right there with the characters. It's a refreshing change from the typical formulaic films where you're just watching the same A-list stars in the same predictable shootouts. This is an action movie with real substance-a film that no John Wick can quite match.

Again, needing to review a movie that doesn't need a review with that much characters. 'Ad Vitam' is a French action movie that is only for lovers of the genre, French language, culture, beautiful photography and awesome chase scenes plus bright camera works.

Is it shallow? Not so much, but then again, what do you expect? Go watch heavier stuff please.

The ending alone makes the movie worthwhile with big heart.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 6.5
• Production value/impact: 7
• Development: 7.5
• Realism: 7
• Entertainment: 7.5
• Acting: 7
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 8
• VFX: 8
• Music/score/sound: 7
• Depth: 6.5
• Logic: 5.5
• Flow: 7
• Drama/mystery/action/thriller/crime: 6.5
• Ending: 7.5.

First movie of 2025...and it's a bit of a dud.

Firstly, a positive. There's some pretty cool action scenes here. I'm not familiar with French cinema but the main actor Guillaume Canet was great and really sold me on his tough guy persona. He really was the emotional core of the story, aside from just being an outright badass. The dude does everything : parkour, driving, martial arts....you name it!

However, "Ad Vitam" really struggled to hold my attention throughout its short run time, and just comes across as a cheaper and inferior version of the "Mission Impossible" series. The story didn't grip me at all. The majority of the film is one big flashback that doesn't even get to the main plot introduced at the start of the film until just over an hour in. For an action film, it's incredibly slow and plodding, and doesn't seem to have any momentum or pace until it suddenly ramps up in the last 30 minutes. It feels like a solid 40 minute pilot episode of a TV series stretched out to 95 minutes to be considered feature length.

Overall, it's not a film I'd recommend. It's typical of what you'd expect from a January Netflix film I guess!

Ad Vitam was for me and my wife a great ride hell.

The story took me on an emotional level mixed with suspense and lot of combat scenes.

It was interesting to watch inside the private life of the special forces GIGN of the French Gendarmes.

If you are looking for a fast paced movie with lot of action then this one will entertain you no doubt.

Netflix presented again another blockbuster that run already on number one of the international charts. Both leading actors Canet and Cortaillod delivered respectable top performance. Finally the director succeeded in making a good show time.

Congratulations to all the staff. It merita for this high value of entertainment a solid 7/10.

If you liked it see Sous la Seine.