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 is a first rate, hugely entertaining action-packed thriller directed by Eric Valette, following his already very good State Affairs. This time he handles a much bigger budget, but maintains tons of personality together with the testosterone. French star Albert Dupontel is amazingly intense as a tough bank robber pitted against an unpredictable killer and trying to save his family while he is chased by the police. Alice Taglioni is also very good as a Jodie Foster-flavored investigator, newcomer Stephane Debac nuanced and frightening as an average Joe who happens to be a psychopath. There's a wonderful appearance by Sergi Lopez as a retired cop who believes he can feel a criminal when he crosses his path. Surprisingly good script, great cinematography, music and editing and the chase scenes are really exciting. The last reel by night in the hills of Provence is especially beautiful. One of the few European thrillers to rival (often blander) Hollywood fare, catch this one before they remake it.

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!

"La Proie" is a superbly tense and adrenalin-rushing thriller from Eric Valette, the director of the French horror sleeper "Malefique" and the hopelessly flopped Hollywood remake "One Missed Call". Although most unfortunate for them, I don't really mind when acclaimed European directors' debuts in Hollywood fail, because this usually means they return to their native country and strike back with a vengeance. In case of Eric Valette, he strikes back with a testosterone-packed thriller full of breathtaking stunts, convoluted plot lines, interesting characters and unexpected shock moments. Albert Dupontel profiles himself as a worthy successor of Jean-Paul Belmondo during the 70's and 80's; meaning a robust but charismatic and energetic hunk for whom you automatically develop feelings of sympathy regardless of whether he plays the hero or a villain. He plays Franck Adrien, a bank robber convicted for heist but still safekeeping the location of the loot. Within six months, he can return home to his beloved wife and daughter, but he makes the sad mistake of taking custody over his seemingly weak and vulnerable cell mate Jean-Louis Morel. Morel is wrongfully accused of child abuse and soon gets released from prison, but Franck painfully discovers that Morel is nevertheless a sadist serial killer who now knows the whereabouts of his family. Franck spectacularly escapes from prison and begins the pursue of Morel, yet meanwhile the most elite French police teams are pursuing him.

Okay, admittedly some of the action sequences are a tad bit grotesque and implausible. It's highly doubtful that anyone simply runs away at 20mph moments after he threw himself through the widow of a six-storey building onto the rooftop of a car. It's even less likely that someone walks around with a shot wound in his stomach for several days and then still goes out climbing rocks. But seriously, I couldn't care less about all the illogical stuff in "La Proie", simply because the film is so incredibly fast-paced and entertaining. Franck's continuous cat-and- mouse games with the police result in some of the best action I've seen in years, whereas the sub plot concentrating on Jean-Louis Morel generates authentic old-fashioned suspense and fear. Stéphane Debac depicts a petrifying nihilistic predator who relentlessly stalks his victims while his docile wife even assists him! The scenario contains several unpleasant (but highly efficient) surprises and remains unpredictable until the denouement. Furthermore, Eric Valette makes terrific use of the beautiful Southern France filming locations and the entire supportive cast delivers excellent work. Definitely a must-see if you dig non-stop action flicks like "The Transporter", "Crank", "Chaser", etc

One of the best tense thrillers seen in a long time though be also prepared to witness the terribly sick side of the human mind so well depicted. The film is packed with superb action, chases, suspense and tension and yet never feeling over the top as the scenario painted is so very plausible. Albert Dupontel plays the role of the fugitive prisoner with such realism, one gets the impression one is watching a docu-drama.

Where good many films content themselves with ensuring the viewer is left in a pleasant frame of mind as the story finally unfolds, this one has the courage to portray events more akin to reality, perhaps this may explain the film's low IMDb score and why even the critics may have found the movie hard to stomach?