Bastille Day

Ever wanted to know what happens when you mix 24, Bourne, Die Hard III, and Luther on a tight budget, and then you spice it all with a little Luc Besson? Then you have your answer right here.

It's a fast paced, no-nonsense action spy thriller, without a single piece of originality. But it manages to present all the borrowed bits and pieces in a way, to deliver a very entertaining experience.

The main character is almost a carbon copy of the title character in Luther, so Elba naturally revels in the role. They even managed to include one of my favorite lines from Luther, the little thieves. Which is funny since the second main character is actually a thief in this. Self irony maybe? The movie never slows down, not for a minute. I haven't seen anything like it for quite some time. There is less Neutral Gear in here, than in Luc Bessson's original Taxi.

Of course you shouldn't expect a masterpiece. The characters are all shallow, and the story is predictable. It doesn't even try to be clever, it just gives you everything at face value.

This was a great action movie. The movie held my interest for the full hour and a half. I enjoyed the close hand to hand combat. There was an interesting twist. I really enjoyed watching Idris Elba. Overall very enjoyable movie to watch.

You have to forget that, during the making of this action film shot in Paris, the French capital was the scene of a brutal terrorist attack. Instead you have to go with the flow - and, boy, does it flow with constant flights and fights and a frenetically-cut chase sequence on rooftops that could have come straight out of a Bourne movie.

British director James Watkins has given us a thoroughly entertaining romp that never lets up and looks great. The plotting is utterly implausible but the hard-as-diamond core is the former CIA agent Briar played wonderfully by Britain's Idris Elba in a role that could be seen as an audition to be the next James Bond. Not at all sure about his 'singing' over the credits though ...

Surprised this isn't at least in the 7's on here. Elba is excellent, no cheesy crap Bond esque love interests. Just a proper thriller with some great twists and decent action sequences. Some comical moments in a non Marvel universe cheesy way.

Nothing incredibly new with the plot, but it does keep you interested for the duration. The end hints at a sequel, which could be interesting.

If you like a good action / thriller - this is the best I've seen in a long while. Not quite as good as the old Bournes, but certainly better than recent Bonds.

Michael Mason (Richard Madden) is an American pickpocket in Paris. Zoe (Charlotte Le Bon) is an anti-fascist who is recruited to place a bomb in an empty right wing party building. Sean Briar (Idris Elba) is a reckless CIA agent assigned to Paris. The three are pulled into a conspiracy to heighten the political atmosphere for a Die Hard scheme.

This proves to me that Idris Elba could have been a great Bond. The story is a good convoluted thriller. The only thing missing is a truly fun buddy chemistry. Madden needs to be a little funnier to make the pairing better. I'm reminded of 48 Hrs or various other odd couples. This is not quite up to that level. It's not as fun but it's a solid thriller.