La sirène rouge

In Paris, the twelve years old girl Alice (Alexandra Negrão) arrives to the police station, and asks to meet detective Anita (Asia Argento). In her office, Alice tells that her mother Eva (Frances Barber) is a sadistic killer and delivers a video showing Eva torturing and killing their maid Sunya. The chief of police does not believe in Alice, but Anita decides to investigate by her own and finds that Eva is a powerful and wealthy leader of an international criminal organization. When Alice escapes from the guard of the detective in charge of her security, she decides to travel to Portugal to meet her father, who is supposedly dead, and is chased by two gangster of Eva's organization. Alice meets the traumatized mercenary Hugo (Jean-Marc Barr), who protects and travels with her to Portugal, trying to find her father, while Eva and Anita also travels to that country.

"La Sirène Rouge" is one of the most unbelievable and flawed screenplay I have ever seen. The storyline is actually a great absurd since the very first beginning until the last scene. Nevertheless, there are many action scenes and shooting and this movie entertains. I personally am a fan of Asia Argento, and her name in the credits was the great attraction for me to see this movie. In the hotel, in the check-in of Hugo and Alice, the soccer game is between Flamengo and another Brazilian team. Later, we can hear the speaker narrating another soccer game in Brazil. Therefore, the language is Portuguese, but the teams and the accent are not from Portugal. I found this sequence ridiculously hilarious. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Alerta Vermelho" ("The Red Alert")

(2002) Red Siren/ La sirène rouge (In French with English subtitles) THRILLER/ ACTION

An adaptation of Maurice G. Dantec's "La Sirene Rouge" about 12 or 13 year old little girl coming into a police woman's, Anita (Asia Argento) office to report a murder of her favorite nanny. A nanny who was killed as a result of an extra marital affair that came between her mother, Eva (Frances Barber) and her father. Except that Eva is wealthy and powerful and will do anything to prevent this exposure from happening. While this little girl is escaping, she finally finds solitude when she meets up with a trained assassin, Hugo (Jean-Marc Barr) who felt troubled after he accidentally shoots a little boy that happened at the start of this film, and is wanting to make amends by helping the little girl find her biological father.

Somewhat low budget and action-less until at least after the first hour when trained mercs entered the building where the assassin and the little girl are staying! This movie has it's moments, but the plot is very conventional! This movie gets a pass since it does have potential!

What's to complain about? This was a B rate "action" film. There's an evil evil bad guy (woman) trying to get her prize (daughter) at all costs, while the good guys (guy with a guilty conscience and tough female cop) try to deliver the prize to its rightful owner (the father). This isn't Silence of the Lambs, or North by Northwest. It is chase scenes, gun fights, macho talk, etc.. entertainment like XXX (Vin Diesel), SWAT, or some other entertainment. Jump of your high horse and enjoy yourself! There's nothing here you haven't seen before. However I thought it was well done and entertaining. So what if The Professional with Jean Reno has done this before and better? I like all the movies listed above including Red Siren, and appreciate each for its own merits.

This is the kind of movie that allow me to say that French directors are able to make as good action movies as American ones. It's perhaps not so good as "Leon" or "Nikita" from Besson, but it's a new director : Megaton. The fact is that there are not as much electronics gadgets as in American movies, but we can see very nice pictures.

I must confess... my low rating of this has to do with a similar plot (pre-teen girl who's life is in danger taken under the wing of a professional assassin) being much better utilised in Leon, with far more suspense and gripping action. It also had the added bonus of a young Natalie Portman, rather than the whiny brat who constantly lands everyone in trouble here. Add to that the main shootout being a poorly edited, shot-in-green-light farce, and a villainess who, if she chewed any more carpet, would have a completely bare house, and you can see we have real problems here.

Still, it's not all bad. Jean-Marc Barr compellingly plays the ice-cool hired killer, and Asia Argento makes for a sexy yet intelligent officer. We get to see quite a few scenic highlights of Europe, and the plot moves along with just the right speed to stop boredom setting in. It's just the feeling of deja vu is constant from the first shot... And I guarantee you've seen it done better. I know I keep bringing this point up in my reviews, but if the boot fits... 5/10.